MUMBAI: Hrithik Roshan claims that playing a paraplegic who asks to be granted death by consent in the upcoming film Guzaarish changed his outlook on life and made him grateful as he spent time with several patients. But the star maintains the film doesn’t take a stand on the issue of mercy killing.
“This film doesn’t take any stand. It is an individual story of Ethan and not about the issue of mercy killing. It is about the strength of a paraplegic, who lived a full life for 14 years without being depressed. He wrote books, he got the president’s medal, won awards and gave inspirational sermons and that is what the film is about,” Hrithik told IANS in an interview.
“This film has changed my life. When your approach to things changes, you don’t worry about the small things in life, you don’t grumble and you don’t get irritated. You learn gratitude — that’s what this film has taught me,” Hrithik added.
Guzaarish is the story of magician Ethan Mascarenhas (Roshan), who becomes a paraplegic when a magic trick goes wrong. His only consolation and solace come from his radio show and his beautiful nurse Sofia (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan).
The film has been directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who worked with Bachchan in Devdas and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.
But after 14 years as a paraplegic, Ethan decides that he wants to die and petitions a court for the right to commit suicide. As he struggles through legal red tape, he decides to pass on his knowledge of magic to Omar Siddiqui (Aditya Roy Kapoor).
“Mercy killing in this film is from the point of view of the character. After doing so much, why did he want to die? He was proudly living his life. Even though he couldn’t move, he didn’t complain. But when he finds out that his body is giving up and his liver, kidney and lungs are failing, then it strikes him,” Roshan said.
“I was reading the script at a time when doctors had said that my knee will not be okay. I was in a state of mind that helped me to identify with the script. The beauty of it is that after reading the script, I wasn’t depressed. I was depressed when I started to read the script, but after reading it, I wasn’t depressed or upset about my knee,” the 36-year-old actor said.
“It taught me something and I woke up with a smile. I said whatever happens, knee or no knee, I will do this film. I maintained that attitude and went through with the film. I want to spread this across message across to all my viewers; I feel that every single human being, whether they like films or not, should see this film,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 19th, 2010.
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