Hrithik Roshan: Bappa stays with us all year now!

If there is one guest who has been a regular visitor to the Roshan household ever since Hrithik was born, it’s Bappa. “If I’m not mistaken, mom had brought Ganpati to the house for the first time the year I was born,” the 43-year-old actor tells us.

No wonder then, that Hrithik feels such a strong connect with Mumbai’s favourite God. “I share a very strong emotional bond with him. I used to believe that He loves kids and that was something my grandmother told me. My dida used to say that whatever I wish with all my heart, honesty and goodness, Ganpati will make it all come true. So each time I prayed to him, it was overwhelming and that emotional bond has lasted all these years. Even now, when I pray to him, the tone of the prayer in my head is the same,” he adds.

Celebrating responsibly

The light-eyed star brought Ganpati to his house this year as well, and although it was his mother, chachi and sister, who decorated the idol, Hrithik, too, partook in the celebrations. Guests poured in all day long and that, he says, is one of the most beautiful things about this festival. “It’s a day that brings automatic joy and you share that joy with others. To find everybody in this fantastic spirit, where everybody wants to give love,” he says.

Of course, now, he doesn’t gorge on sweets like he used to earlier. “When I was a kid, I used to look forward to Ganpati because of the modaks,” he confesses with a laugh. “But that was a time to take, now is the time to give. So, now, I find joy in offering it to my guests,” he adds.

What has also changed, at least over the past two years, is that the actor has started bringing eco-friendly Ganpati to his home. “Earlier, we used to gather around the idol, there would be drums and I would dance all the way to the beach for the visarjan. But today, I think we do something even more beautiful,” he says. The environmentally-conscious actor wants people to assume responsibility for the planet we’re living on. “What is the world we’re leaving behind for our kids? We have to be very responsible. The Ganesha idol we bring to our house is so beautiful. It dissolves into the soil and becomes the fuel and food for the plants that grow out of that soil. So in essence, Ganpati never really leaves us. All these years, we used to say goodbye to it but now, it stays with us all year in our homes,” he adds.

Blessings from Him

Remind him of the Deva Shree Ganesha song picturised on him for the movie Agneepath, and one can hear the emotion well up in him. “It was a special song and it was the easiest shoot for me as I didn’t have to act! My feelings are so genuine about Ganpati and it all came naturally to me,” he reminisces. For Hrithik, that song remains one of the most beautiful Ganpati songs of all times. “It really embodies all the feelings that one has when you think of Ganpati. It has the fervour, the passion, the hope, the devotion and the faith. I was very honoured and lucky to have gotten this opportunity. I think somewhere it manifested because of my connection with him. I’d like to believe that,” he adds with a smile.

Although Hrithik’s prayers to Ganpati now are more of gratitude, he does have one blessing to ask the deity. “The only wish I have is for Him to bless my children. To make them emotionally and physically strong, for them to grow into individuals, who have built and learnt the skill to keep themselves empowered, no matter what,” says Hrithik.