Hrithik Roshan captures you instantly with his haunting green eyes and his deep voice. He comes from a Bollywood family, but he has real skills as actor, dancer and all-around performer. He is a perfectionist in both his performance and his physique - his muscular, chiselled body started a fitness boom in India.
He is currently taking a break from acting following surgery he underwent earlier this year. While he spends his time recuperating, you might want to spend some time watching these award-winning Hrithik Roshan films.
1. Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000)
About the Title: "Say ... you love me"
Description: Romantic action crime film. Aspiring singer Rohit (Hrithik Roshan) and Sonia Saxena (Ameesha Patel) fall in love. Rohit and his brother Amit (Abhishek Sharma) are poor while Saxena is rich. While on a cruise ship, Rohit and Sonia get separated from the rest of their party and end up on a deserted island. They live happily here for a few days until they are rescued. Rohit promises to earn success so he can marry Sonia; however, he meets an untimely death. Sonia's father (Anupam Kher) sends her to live with her cousins in New Zealand to get over her heartbreak. She meets Raj Chopra (Hrithik Roshan) who looks exactly like Rohit. Raj falls in love with Sonia and when he follows her back to India, he is shot at. They begin to unravel the true story of what happened to Rohit.
Stand Out Songs:
- "Ek Pal Ka Jeena" has a memorable chorus and interesting dance moves.
- "Dil Ne Dil Ko Pukaara" - a composition by Rohit used throughout the film - evolves into an on-stage performance at the end of the film. This song also segues into "Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai", the main love song of the film. Hrithink also performed these back-to-back numbers at the IIFA that year.
Why I love this movie: This was Hrithik Roshan's official film debut and his portrayal of the two different characters is believable. He walks onto the screen and you become enthralled with his personality and presence. You can easily understand why the country suffered from "hrithikmania" after this film was released.
Recognition: Filmfare Award for Best Actor, Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut
2. Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001)
About the Title: "Sometimes happiness, sometimes sadness." It's all about loving your parents.
Description: Drama. Yashovardhan Raichand (Amitabh Bachchan) and his wife Nandini (Jaya Bachchan) have raised their sons Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan) and Rohan (Hrithik Roshan) showering them with love and affection. Yash has tried to pass on to his sons the values, the heritage and the rich traditions of his family. Rahul falls in love with Anjali (Kajol) a bubbly girl from Delhi's Chandni Chowk (one of the oldest and busiest markets in Old Delhi), who dotes on her little sister Pooja (Kareena Kapoor). When Anjali's ailing father dies, Rahul marries her against his father’s wishes. What follows is the story of Rohan’s attempt to reunite his broken family.
Stand out songs:
- The beautiful love song "Suraj Hua Maddham" won awards for best playback singer and lyricist. It includes a snippet of the song "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" which was also picturized on a Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol.
- The melody for "Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham" runs throughout the whole movie and won awards for best lyricist.
Why I love this movie: This film stars some of the biggest names in Bollywood but the story never gets lost because of that. Hrithik's portrayal of a the inner turmoil of young man seeking to bring his elder brother back home is heartbreaking and inspiring. Themes of parental authority, adoption, alienation, honor, and marriage are highlighted in big ways that may leave you emotionally drained, but ultimately satisfied, by the end of the film.
Recognition: Nominated, Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor
3. Dhoom 2 (2006)
About the Title: "Blast 2"
Description: Action film. In the second installment of the Dhoom series, Jai and Ali are back as the buddy cops on their toughest job so far. "Mr.A" is an international thief who has planned to steal a priceless artifact in Mumbai and the police have got to nab him. But Mr.A manages to steal the artifact and elude the police. He finds his match in Sunehri and they form a partnership. They move on to Rio for their next job, with Jai and Ali hot on their trail. Mr.A whose actual name is Aryan, and Sunehri are drawn towards each other but little does Aryan know of Sunehri's little secret.
Stand-out Songs:
- "Dhoom Again" riffs off the "Dhoom Machale" of the first film but primarily in English. The item number demonstrates Hrithik Roshan's made skills as a dancer.
- "Dil Laga Na" is another great dance song, but in this item number you also see the pain of Aryan's awareness of Sunehri's secret - and the lyrics reflect this.
Why I love this movie: While the story is interesting and the action sequences enthralling, the on-screen interaction between Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai is what makes this film a stand-out.
Recognition: Filmfare Award for Best Actor
4. Jodhaa Akbar (2008)
Description: Historical epic. Fictionalized account of Mughal Emperor Jalaludden Mohammed Akbar (Hrithik Roshan) who marries Rajput princess Rajkumari Jodhaa Bai (Aishwarya Rai) to help unite the Hindustani empire.
Stand-out Songs:
- "Azeem-O-Shaan Shahenshah" is an epic celebratory song on a HUGE scale
- "Khwaja Mere Khwaja" by A.R. Rahman/Kashif is a beautiful song of spiritual reverence and reflection
- The gentle love song "Jashn-e-Bahara" won multiple awards
- A.R. Rahman's music is brilliant throughout
Why I love this film: The idea of religious tolerance is important in India with people of many different faiths living side-by-side. This film takes you back to the time when the Mughal empire sought to conquer Hindustan through force, but ultimately found a better way to unify the region through respect. Hrithik Roshan portrays Jalaludden Mohammed with the honor, dignity, and leadership you would expect from an emperor who ultimately sought not to destroy but to build. While there are many who point out historical discrepancies in the storyline, there are many scenes based on real events and the film makers did a lot of research to bring the story to life. The battle scenes, in particular, are fairly epic.
Recognition: Filmfare Award for Best Actor; Screen Award for Best Actor; Stardust Award for Star of the Year.
5. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)
About the Title: "You only live once" ("You don't get to live twice")
Description: Road-trip comedy-drama. Three friends - Kabir (Abhay Deol), Imraan (Farhan Akhtar) and Arjun (Hrithik Roshan) - decide to turn their fantasy vacation into reality after one of their number becomes engaged. Along the way they meet scuba instructor Laila (Katrina Kaif) and Imraan's biological father Salman Habib (Naseeruddin Shah).
Stand out songs: Most of the music from the soundtrack is fun and engaging. But my favorite is "Señorita" which is sung and performed by Farhan Akhtar, Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol, Maria del Mar Fernández. The song is a fiesta celebratory party song and the item number includes many of the locals from the small town where it was filmed.
Why I love this movie: While this is identified as a coming of age movie, I think it is more of a "coming to life" film. The cast has great chemistry and the transformation of Arjun is authentic and enjoyable to watch. This is one of the best road trip adventure films out there.
Recognition: Nominated, Filmfare Award for Best Actor; Won, Stardust Award for Male Star of the Year; Nominated, Stardust Award for Best Drama Actor; Nominated, Zee Cine Award for Best Actor; Nominated, IIFA Award for Best Actor
Don't know which film to watch first? The following playlist features the trailers for each of these five films.
If you like this post, check out our other Friday Five lists of Bollywood films.