Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Mission: Kashmir, which released alongside Aditya Chopra’s Mohabbatein on October 27, 2000, completes 25 years today. The film marked Hrithik Roshan’s third release, following the blockbuster Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai and Khalid Mohamed’s Fiza.
25 Years of Mission: Kashmir: When Hrithik Roshan admitted he wasn’t fully satisfied with his performance; “I could’ve done better — it was Sanjay Dutt’s film”
However, despite the film’s visual grandeur and powerful storytelling, Hrithik wasn’t completely happy with his own performance in it. In an interview with this writer shortly before Mission: Kashmir’s release, the actor had candidly confessed, “I thought in Fiza I had gone beyond Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai as an actor. But in Mission: Kashmir I haven’t really gone beyond Fiza. It’s Sanjay Dutt’s film — he’s mind-blowing in it. I think I could’ve done better in Mission: Kashmir. This was the first outside film (a non-home production) that I had shot for.”
“I became too busy after Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai”
Reflecting on why he felt that way, Hrithik added, “I think one of the reasons I didn’t do as well as I could have is because I became so busy. Actually, the portions I shot before the release of Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai are among my best scenes in Mission: Kashmir. After Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai, I got so busy that there was much less time to prepare for my role. After a successful debut, an actor becomes very confident — and I was no exception. Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai made me confident.”
Hrithik, who became an overnight sensation after his debut, was also remarkably self-aware about the overwhelming praise that came his way.
“The praise went beyond what I deserved,” he admitted. “To give you a silly comparison, it was like I worked for ten rupees, but was paid a hundred. I think I’ve just been lucky to be presented so well — not just in my dad’s film, but also in Fiza. I was very fortunate to get a complex role like Fiza as my second film.”
Before fame struck, Hrithik didn’t believe in destiny. “Before Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai, I didn’t believe in luck or fate. I thought success only came from hard work. But now I do believe in destiny — because that’s the only way I can rationalize what I’ve got. How else can I make sense of the response to me?”
Drawing parallels between his two early roles — both of young men caught in the grip of terrorism — Hrithik had said back in 2000, “In Mission: Kashmir, I’m much more in control of the situation than in Fiza. In Fiza, my character Amaan was a boy trying to behave like a man — like hundreds of kids who go astray in life. In Mission: Kashmir, my character Altaaf knows exactly what he wants. I’m a true screen hero this time. The two roles are absolutely different — there’s no shade of Amaan in Altaaf.”
Despite his initial self-criticism, Hrithik expressed deep gratitude for his director. “All said and done, I am happy with myself in Mission: Kashmir. And I only have Mr. Vidhu Vinod Chopra to thank for it. He has handled all the characters so well. I think he has done something amazing with this film.”
Twenty-five years later, Hrithik’s honesty about his craft remains as refreshing as ever — proof that even at the height of his early stardom, he was already his own toughest critic.
Also Read: Sanjay Dutt reflects on his drug struggle; says, “My director used to tell that don’t touch him”
More Pages: Mission Kashmir Box Office Collection , Mission Kashmir Movie Review
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