From the Editor in Chief


	March 20, 2000

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A film personality on the cover of India Today is a rare occasion. Amitabh Bachchan, whom we dubbed "The One Man Industry" (May 15, 1980), made the grade. So did Shabana Azmi (September 30, 1983) who straddled the divide between commercial and art cinema. And finally there was Madhuri Dixit, whom we aptly labelled "The Star of the 90s" (September 15, 1993). What attracted us to Madhuri, Shabana and Bachchan was that they were phenomenons. Such people appear once in a while, and reflect our changing times and society's new tastes.

It may be early yet for Hrithik Roshan to be spoken of in the same breath, yet the public swooning over him again signals a changing time. Once an actor would be judged solely on a body of accumulated work. No longer. We live in an instant age, the Internet era, where life moves at lightning pace, where icons are created (and dismantled) overnight. It is an environment which allows for the coronation of one-film heroes like Hrithik.

That Hrithik is a phenomenon is clear. He seems to be the real McCoy, a sexy, muscled, charming hero who can dance and, says director Shekhar Kapur, "has the potential to be a very good actor". It helps too that as the Khans are overexposed and the industry searches for fresh talent to devour, he emerges as the right man at the right place. Still his popularity is stunning. When Govinda's daughter celebrated her birthday recently, she insisted Hrithik arrive for the cutting of the cake and would not budge till he did. Said a surprised Govinda: "Now I know what a star is."

Senior Editor Madhu Jain who wrote the story, flew down to Mumbai to meet first with father Rakesh Roshan, and then speak to Hrithik on three separate occasions. Jain, who also met directors and fellow actors, went further, seeking out Hrithik's choreographers, designers, make-up people, to find what makes him special. But says Jain: "More fun than doing the story was the envy I stirred among my friends."
This, I suppose, is one of the joys of journalism.

(Aroon Purie)

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