UPDATED: Dec 20, 2016 16:10 IST
Hrithik Roshan is playing a blind man for the first time in his life. As director Sanjay Gupta's upcoming film Kaabil nears its release date, Roshan shares his process of preparing for the role. Hrithik told India Today Television in an exclusive interview, "I had to meet a lot of my blind friends, because the way I was initially treating the character was with certain nuances and a certain look in the eye, which would call for a little sympathy; which would radiate a little bit of that helplessness. It was very subtle... something that actors can do. But when I met them, I took it upon myself as a responsibility that I must not do that, that I must portray the character as if he is unaffected by the fact that he is blind. That he is totally self-sufficent, self-reliant, independent and strong." Hrithik also spoke about the box-office clash between Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Raees and his Kaabil. "A solo release is better not just for the film, but also for the industry as a whole. Both the films releasing solo would have brought back more returns. So yes, it is unfortunate, but it is the way it is. They are friends and there's an understanding, there's communication, and it's fine to do our best with what we have, with the job at hand. Hopefully, if both films are good, if both do well, we will celebrate," Roshan said. 2016 began with Hrithik Roshan in the middle of a major legal soup; he and actor Kangana Ranaut had their horns locked over a defamation case. The focus on Roshan's personal life has been too much of late. Does he get frustrated by the reams of negative stories on his personal life, and his name constantly coming up in articles? "It's not (frustrating). People can say two things. People can say either the truth or they can say lies. When they say the truth, it's the truth. You're fine with it. When they lie, it's a lie. I'm fine with that too. It doesn't affect my sunrises and my sunsets."
