Superpower of three

The star of Krrish 3 Hrithik Roshan, his father, the filmmaker Rakesh Roshan, and Viveik Oberoi, the movie's baddie, talk about the making of the superhero film.

From left, Vivek Oberoi, Hrithik Roshan and Rakesh Roshan at a press conference for Krrish 3 in Dubai. Razan Alzayani / The National

Krrish 3 is the third instalment in Bollywood’s superhit sci-fi franchise, which debuted in 2003 with Koi … Mil Gaya and was followed by Krrish in 2006.

Directed, produced and written by Rakesh Roshan, it continues the story of the superhero Krrish, played by Hrithik Roshan. Vivek Oberoi appears as the villain Kaal. We caught up with the three during their visit to Dubai to promote the film in the UAE.

Rakesh Roshan, director, producer, screenwriter

On stepping out of traditional Bollywood territory by making sci-fi superhero films:

“My content is always traditional Indian. In my films I have a grandfather, a mother, a wife, children. My films are meant for families. If I made a Hollywood-style sci-fi film, it would not have done so well in India.”

On how Krrish 3 takes the story further:

“I always had the vision to make a superhero film. We don’t have comic books in India so I had to use the vehicle of films to create a superhero especially for India. In the earlier parts of the franchise, you see Krishna turn into Krrish the superhero. In Krrish 3, I have taken the story forward and introduced a supervillain who is played by Vivek Oberoi.”

Hrithik Roshan, the superhero Krrish

On what Krrish stands for:

“Krrish is a symbol and to me, a symbol is more powerful than an individual. Krrish is not about the mask and the cape, or that he has these superpowers and can fly around. Krrish is about his character and the values that he lives by. He has made a huge impact on my personal life as well.

“Right from the start of this film I suffered mental and physical agonies which could have broken me – such as my double-slipped disc. Because I was so intimately involved with this character, he made me ask the right questions. Instead of asking why is this is happening to me, I would ask myself how can I overcome this.

“My dad [Rakesh Roshan] even said let’s shelve the film and make it two years from now, but I knew that if we did not do it now, we might not do it ever. It was because of Krrish that I powered on.

“In our lives, all of us go through despair and focus on what is wrong. But if you focus on what you can do to make things right, then you can change your circumstances. That power lies within us. This is what Krrish stands for.”

On the special effects in the film:

“My father took the decision to do all the special effects in India. He wanted to give Indian talent the opportunity to prove themselves. He wanted to show the world that India has the talent and just needs the right opportunity. This is the first purely Indian, 100 per cent home-grown, full-fledged musical sci-fi extravaganza.”

Vivek Oberoi, the villain Kaal

On his first time playing a negative role in a film:

“The villain always plays a heavy role in a Rakesh Roshan film and it’s no different here. This time, though, the heaviness is quite literal. I had to wear a 28-kilogram costume for the role and was trying to match the moves of our favourite hero Hrithik Roshan, suspended by ropes some 30 to 40 feet in the air. It was quite tough but I loved every single minute of it. You felt that you were making history and playing a part in the biggest dream Bollywood has ever dreamed!”

• Krrish 3 also stars Priyanka Chopra and Kangana Ranaut and is out in UAE cinemas today