'I have never worked with latecomers'

Yes, he was almost written off after he had a string of flops in the early phase of his career?

* After the success of Kaho Na..., people started signing him up because he had delivered a huge hit. Those who had already signed him earlier started changing the script to match his starry status, and that went completely wrong. I was making Koi Mil Gaya and that seemed like the last hope. I was very confident that it would do well commercially. People were saying, 'Why is he making a film about a handicapped person?' but I did not change. I didn't try to cast him in the hero mould, that's why I had to go all out with special effects. I kept telling him not to worry and that it would work. I feel that a good actor will always bounce back.

Krissh 3 is a big film and I could only make it because of Hrithik, What we are doing is not regular stuff, so putting together a detailed storyboard before we began shooting was very important. We sometimes have differences of opinion but that's it.

What would you say of Hrithik's growth as an actor?

* Hrithik is a more honest and seasoned actor. He always asks for one more shot which is always better than the last one.

In the age of homegrown superheroes, what is the challenge of helming a franchise like Krrish 3?

* The good part is that in Krrish 3, I don't have to establish the character. I already did that in the first two parts. Hrithik is playing both father and son, and looks like a different person for each character. The shot division becomes very difficult as a result of this — I have to do all the shots of the older character first and the young one's later. A make-up artist has been flown in from London. The film's duration is about two and a half hour and it has only three songs. I have knowingly put in elements, which a younger generation will understand.

... contd.

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