WAS TOLD I COULDN'T BECOME AN ACTOR

Hrithik Roshan is known not just for his fine performances but also his energetic dance moves. Hence, it would come as a shock for many to know that during his childhood, he was told that he would never be able to either act or dance. He also said that he struggled emotionally because of stammering. The actor recently opened up about the struggles he has faced in life and how he learnt how to overcome them. He talked about his painful school days, his speech impediment and spinal problems and how he almost let go of the idea of becoming an actor, as doctors advised him to do so. Nevertheless, he thanks ‘these lessons of pain’, as he feels he learnt important life lessons. Talking about his mental health, Hrithik said, “I have sometimes felt that life is very unfair. In school, I had such a bad stammer that I couldn’t speak. I never had any friends or girlfriends. I was very shy and would come back from school and just cry. School days were very painful…on top of that, doctors told me that I couldn’t become an actor. There were problems with my spine, doctors said ‘you cannot dance’.” Moving on, the Super 30 actor said that to make matters worse, doctors advised him not to become an actor, since he won't be able to dance, because of the problems with his spine. Recalling those days, Hrithik said that he was surrounded by a sense of hopelessness for many months, but he eventually brushed himself up and emerged stronger, while working on his mental and physical health.

He added that how he was filled with a sense of hopelessness for several months. “I was so broken, that I would wake up for months, and would think it is a dream, a lucid dream. It was so heartbreaking and relive that feeling of knowing that I could not become an actor…I am disabled. So it was very traumatising.” However, like a hero in a lot of Bollywood movies, Hrithik too took the problems in his stride and ultimately emerged victorious. “Now when I look back, I thank god,” he said. “Thank you for giving me the problem where I could learn how to be strong. I learnt perseverance and if I did not have a broken spine and speech impediment… For the day to be there, you have to have the night. When problems come, it becomes a game. I can hold on to this thought that I can learn from this pain, and it can shape my character. I come out stronger.” Hrithik was last seen in Vikram Vedha earlier this year along with Saif Ali Khan. He will next be seen in Siddharth Anand’s keenly awaited Fighter, which also stars Deepika Padukone.