It feels strange to write a letter to you that will be up for everyone to read. The earlier ones were, after all, for my eyes only. But now that I am at it, I might as well open it by professing my love for you. And while you might not even be aware of my existence, let me tell you that you have influenced my life in more ways than you would imagine. Like all good love stories – even one-sided ones – my obsession with you wasn’t a case of love at first sight. I didn’t exactly fawn over you as you ran on the Rann in Refugee, I didn’t catch the first day first show of your film, neither did I know what exactly was going on in your life – I wasn’t a fan, you see.
It was a gradual process. I only pored over interviews of you in newspapers and magazines, imagining the kind of person you must be. The first time I went to a cyber cafe and found out about this amazing thing called the internet, I searched for you. And I absolutely refused to go to Juhu in a car, instead taking the bus in hopes of catching a glimpse of you at your house. Oh the things you do for the ones you love! Talking about that, I did do quite a few things for you, not that you would know of it. I fought with every Hrithik Roshan fan, defended all your film choices, cheered for your successes and rued your failures. And when presented with the opportunity to be an entertainment journalist, I jumped at it because finally I could then stop taking the bus and at least dream of having a tete-a-tete with you. I did. Twice. I won’t talk about it because honestly, I don’t remember much except how unreal it felt and how witty you were!
As you can imagine, it wasn’t easy for me to pose questions at you. I, who have never been tongue-tied, drew a blank when I looked into your eyes. But being your fan, I sourced courage just like you must each time you face the camera, not letting the weight of expectations bog you down. And then it was all easy. Your easy demeanour and amazing sense of humour bowled me over once more.
As a fan who loves you, I feel extremely happy with the manner in which you lead your life. The way you are seen with your wife, standing by her side as she stuns the world or the manner in which you take up a fight on Twitter when it comes to your darling daughter, makes me proud to be an admirer. And while I do wish I would get to see more of you onscreen, I am also happy that you are being selective of the films you do. I wouldn’t be exaggerating when I say I fall a little more in love with you every day.
Over the years, I have changed as a person, but one thing that never changes is just how much I love you. I admit I am not as juvenile now but my heart still somersaults each time I write about you. And as you can imagine, writing to you feels like riding a roller-coaster ride. But on your birthday today, the excitement was worth it!
Happy Birthday!
With love.