22 years of Kaho Na… Pyaar Hai: How Hrithik Roshan became an overnight star
Written by Shresta Dutt on January 14, 2022
The term ‘overnight success’ is not to be used lightly. There are few in Hindi cinema who become overnight stars with the release of their films. Whether it was Rishi Kapoor and Dimple Kapadia in Bobby (1973), Kumar Gaurav in Love Story (1981), or Ajay Devgn in Phool Aur Kaante (1991), all of them made their debuts with films that showcased their talents to the fullest.
Twenty-two years ago, another star arrived in the film firmament to newfound hysteria with the release of Rakesh Roshan’s Kaho Na… Pyaar Hai (2000). It was the filmmaker’s son Hrithik who drew the whistles and applause.
The musical drama contained it all — it was a love story, a revenge saga, and it afforded Hrithik to show off his skills in a double role as the suave NRI Raj and the lovable romantic Rohit.
Audiences went crazy. The Khans had asserted their dominance in the previous decade. But it appeared that the new millennium would belong to Hrithik. His face was on almost all movie magazine covers. The film’s soundtrack, composed by Hrithik’s uncle Rajesh Roshan, was on endless repeat and the television channels couldn’t get enough of Hrithik’s moves in ‘Ek Pal Ka Jeena’.
Hrithik had achieved a feat that happens only once or twice in a decade, when the old guard changes and a star is born. For potential filmmakers, Hrithik was the complete package — he danced beautifully, emoted well, and had solid screen presence
Looking back now, Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai had its flaws, but the film worked as a showreel for its leading man. Ameesha Patel was signed opposite Hrithik, but while she was also accepted by the film industry, she never could achieve the heights her co-star reached.
