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'We don't have time to perfect our work'

Hrithik Roshan is still as shy as he used to be in the days before he became a star. Says his fond papa, "He has not changed one bit." Rakesh Roshan's words ring true when one sees an embarrassed Hrithik dealing with the adulation and obliging his fans for autographs, whether at Santa Cruz airport in Bombay or Hotel Taj in Ahmedabad or City Pulse in Gandhinagar. A quick interview with the Roshans.

Has the father-son equation changed after Kaho Naa...Pyaar Hai?

Hrithik (smiling): Not at all. The equation was established when I assisted dad in production, direction and editing before he launched me in Kaho Naa...Pyaar Hai.

Did assisting your father help you in your performance?

Hrithik: Of course. The training period under my dad has been of immense help. You can know what is right only when you know what's wrong.When dad used to correct Salman or Shah Rukh on the sets of Karan Arjun, I used to ask him why he said what he said.

Besides, Dad and I used to discuss a great deal in the editing room, that's another way in which I learnt what was wrong and what was right. And wrong and right before the camera are quite different from what they may be in real life. For instance, if, in a scene, an actor is talking to someone and another person, who is not in the frame, passes by, the natural reaction would be for the actor to look at the person passing by. But dad once explained to me that if the camera caught the actor's eyes moving somewhere else, the director would also have to show to the audience that other person who was passing by.

I have been really very lucky to have undergone training in direction before becoming an actor because I find it easier to visualise what exactly a director wants of me.

What was Hrithik's contribution to Kaho Naa...Pyaar Hai?

Rakesh: I would say that at least 50 per cent of the credit for the success goes to Hrithik. We had constant discussions on the sets and in the editing room. Because he belongs to today's generation, he knew what the look of the film had to be. I used to readily accept his suggestions relating to the look of the film. His other suggestions were also good. But he did get a little worried when I did not keep a single dramatic scene for him in the film. He told his mother, 'Mama, please tell papa to include at least one dramatic scene for me.' But I never heeded this suggestion of his.

What is Hrithik's forte -- dance, action, emotions or comedy?

Rakesh: We need to see him in a couple of more films to really gauge his forte. An actor opens up with every film and I am confident that Hrithik will be able to handle all of them with elan.

Is Hrithik as comfortable on the sets of other directors as he is with his dad?

Hrithik: I understand that no other director can give me the space which dad gave me in my first film. But I am unhappy about how the industry functions. We all work like machines, we don't have the time to rehearse, to perfect our work. I guess it's the system, but I am very very sad about it. I find myself helpless because I can't change the system all by myself.