Ahead of the re-release of the iconic Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, Dalip Tahil, who co-starred with Hrithik Roshan in the 2000 blockbuster, shared his perspective on the actor’s meteoric rise and compared it to Shah Rukh Khan’s career graph. Speaking to News9 Live, Tahil reflected on how Hrithik’s debut was a game-changer and how each actor in Bollywood has their own journey.
“These journeys are all separate. Each actor has his own kundali and set of strengths and weaknesses. Shah Rukh’s graph was different. It was DDLJ that really catapulted him into super duper stardom. But Baazigar before that was a big hit. I was with him in that. In fact, Deewana was a huge hit,” Tahil said.
He noted that Shah Rukh had multiple stepping stones to stardom, while Hrithik’s debut itself was a launchpad into the stratosphere. “Shah Rukh had stepping stones with these films. Darr and DDLJ absolutely endorsed his stardom. But Hrithik got to that stage in his first (film), and that’s the difference. In his very first film, he went from unknown to 15 on 10, straight through the roof. That is a phenomenal feeling,” he added.
Tahil also spoke about the individuality of Bollywood’s leading men, including Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, and Hrithik Roshan. “You have Shah Rukh Khan, who has got his own stardom, way of doing films, choice of films, and the way of performing. It is very different from what Hrithik, Salman, and Aamir do. Each of them has their own place. What we have to understand is that they are all part of an eco-structure which is the film industry, and they all co-exist,” he explained.
Highlighting the competitive yet distinct nature of the industry, Tahil remarked that the ultimate benchmark for an actor’s success is box-office performance. “As much as they are in competition with each other in terms of which film does well or which one dominates the box office, they are really individualistic in their own way. The only comparison the audience sees is whose film worked and whose didn’t. Otherwise, they are completely different and have their own audience,” he said.
Tahil concluded by expressing admiration for Hrithik Roshan and Aamir Khan for their consistent excellence. “I have a lot of respect for Hrithik Roshan and Aamir to a large extent that after such huge opening films, they have followed up with great films. They have proved themselves each time,” he said.
Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, which marked Hrithik Roshan’s debut, remains a milestone in Bollywood history, and its re-release is bound to rekindle fond memories for fans.
