Before Bunty Aur Babli became a box-office phenomenon, Hrithik Roshan was Shaad Ali’s first choice for the con-artist role. But in an exclusive chat with Team Movified, the director reveals that Hrithik kept a personal rule: “No small-town stories.” At the time, he wasn’t ready to step out of his urban superstar image.
“My father loved the script,” Ali recalls, “but Hrithik had reservations.” For over a decade, that rule held until Super 30 in 2019, when he embraced the small-town hero and delivered one of his most lauded performances. “He broke his own mold,” Ali adds, “and transformed himself completely.”
Hrithik also influenced Bunty Aur Babli’s ending, advocating that the duo should return to their conning ways, “They’re like Superman; they can’t go straight.” That bold input reshaped a happy-ever-after into a clever wink at the audience.
Today, Hrithik’s rule-breaking moment is celebrated as proof that great actors evolve and that sometimes, the stories that scare us most are the ones worth telling.
