Hrithik Rosan

Born on January 10, 1974 to then film star Rakesh Roshan (now producer/director) and wife Pinky, Hrithik (aka Duggu) grew up in the world of cinema, not truly understanding the hardships that one must endure to achieve success in the industry. As a child, Hrithik's idol was none other than Papa Roshan, and he knew even then that one-day, he'd follow in dad's footsteps and pursue a career in acting as well.

Being the grandchild of Producer J. Om Prakash, Duggu debuted in films as a child when he played a role in his Nana-ji's movie Bhagwan Dada. Later, he also danced for a song sequence in his grandfather's Aasha (starring Jeetendra).

Hrithik attended Sydneham College (with longtime friend Uday Chopra) and earned his Bachelor's Degree in B'Comm. While Mama and Papa Roshan wanted Hrithik to continue his post-graduate education abroad, Duggu had other plans in mind.

Determined to prove himself as an actor, Duggu enrolled himself in Kishor Namit Kapoor's acting classes without informing his parents until months later. He wanted to reach his potential before showcasing his talent to his family, and then the world. Wanting to learn everything about cinematography and acting, he worked with his father during the production of Koyla and Karan-Arjun. Later, he even helped his father during the scripting stages of Kaho Naa?Pyaar Hai, not knowing that his papa had chosen him for the lead role.

When Rakesh Roshan told his son that he'd be doing the film, after the initial shock of the news subsided, Duggu asked his father for six months to prepare for the role. Hrithik got his wish, Rakesh-ji got a superstar actor, and in January of 2000, the world got a brand new idol.
After the release of Kaho Naa?Pyaar Hai, Hrithik's name instantly got penciled in on the top directors' list of "actors to sign for upcoming film". The big shots of the film industry began to approach him with scripts left and right. Hrithik became and instant success and while the world around him put him on a plateau, this boy-next-door was trying to figure out what all the hype was about. Even at the prime of his success, Duggu kept his feet firmly glued to the ground.

Hrithik's family and friends, including then longtime girlfriend Sussanne Khan, were extremely proud of this shy boy that they watched turn into an amazing actor. Never had they dreamed that his first performance would earn Hrithik a Filmfare not only for best newcomer, but best actor as well.

It wasn't until after the success of KNPH, once he was financially stable, that Duggu decided to marry his one true love. On December 20th, 2000, Hrithik managed to get a few days off from the camera in order to wed Sussanne at her father's Golden Palm's Resort and Spa in Bangalore. Many hearts around the world were broken that day, but marriage only seemed to help increase Hrithik's appeal.

As a newcomer, he signed films with all the big banners, and although not all of his films were successful, Hrithik has grown as an actor in each one. After KNPH, critics raved about his performance in both Fiza and Mission Kashmir. With each of his first films, the audience's demand for excellence increased, and with that, Hrithik's need to meet the expectations of his fans. Unfortunately, a few of Hrithik's next films flopped due to poor story line and bad scripting. Even so, Duggu gave 200% to every role he did, and all of his performances, regardless of the movie's overall success at the box office, were liked among critics and fans alike. These flops only gave Hrithik a reason to work harder, to prove himself again.

He did so with Koi Mil Gaya - his second project with Papa Roshan. In a time when the media wrote him off, the father-son duo went beyond all borders of Hindi cinema with Bollywood's first Sci-Fi film. Hrithik's performance as the mentally challenged Rohit got him accolades not only from critics and fans, but also from the film fraternity. As Papa Roshan said at the 2004 Filmfare awards, the same critics that wrote him off were now giving him an award.

With his most recent film Lakshya, Duggu has only continued to excel at his talent. Though Farhan Akhtar's second film didn't bring in the box office collections that his directorial debut did, Hrithik's performance had the critics talking once again.
For now, the world can only watch and wait as Hrithik prepares to deliver the sequel to 2003 success Koi Mil Gaya, and last year's blockbuster Dhoom. No doubt this hardworking actor will continue to prove himself time and time again. Rising higher as a phoenix with every character he gives life to.