40 Things You DIDN'T KNOW About Hrithik Roshan

Here's presenting 40 facts about Hrithik Roshan you probably didn't know!

So you think you know everything about your heartthrob Hrithik Roshan, who celebrates his birthday today, January 10? 

Do you know who his dance idols are? Or which car he drives? Or even who coined the name 'Duggu,' that's he lovingly called by those close to him?

Read these 40 facts about the superstar who turns 40 today:

1. With his first pay Rs 100 that he received from grandfather J Om Prakash for shaking a leg next to Jeetendra in the 1980 melodrama Aasha, Hrithik Roshan purchased 10 Hot Wheels cars, which were a huge rage among little boys back then.

2. His official surname is Nagrath not Roshan.

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3. Hrithik attended Mumbai’s Bombay Scottish School, which boasts of a starry alumni courtesy celebrities like Aamir Khan, John Abraham, Ranbir Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan, Aditya Chopra and Ekta Kapoor.

4. London (United Kingdom) and Phuket (Thailand) are two of his favourite holiday spots. Though he has never travelled to Japan, the Krrish 3 actor would love to visit it someday.

5. Did you know Hrithik was friend Farhan Akhtar’s original choice to play Akshaye Khanna’s Sid in Dil Chahta Hai as well Shah Rukh Khan’s role in Don (although he appeared in a cameo for Don. He was also offered Swades and (Siddharth’s role) Rang De Basanti.

6. A complete action buff, the superstar roped in Hong Kong’s Tony Ching, known for choreographing daredevil stunts in films like Shaolin Soccer and House of Flying Daggers, to design the thrills for Krrish and Krrish 3.

7. The Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai hero’s first watch, a Swatch, was a gift from his (then) girlfriend Sussanne, brought out of her own pocket money.

8. Even though he advocates a healthy lifestyle, Hrithik Roshan found it hard to give up his smoking habit. But after reading Allen Carr’s Easyway to Stop Smoking, the Dhoom 2 dude didn’t touch a single cigarette.

9. Music is in his lineage -- grandfather Roshan and uncle Rajesh Roshan -- are well-known composers. Hrithik hasn’t had any trouble carrying a tune in films like Kites (Kites in the sky), Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (Senorita) and Guzaarish (It’s a wonderful world).

10. One of the most stylish stars of Bollywood, HR recently launched his own fashion label brand for casual clothing called HRx.

11. Hrithik’s parents wished for him to pursue further studies in the US after he graduated from Sydenham College (with a degree in Commerce) but destiny had showbiz-y things in mind.

12. It was Hrithik’s grandmother who coined the nickname Duggu for him. Apparently, she was looking for a name that rhymes with her son Rakesh’s Guddu. And Duggu is what you get if you keep chanting Guddu constantly.

13. If you follow the star on Twitter, you’ll already know he used to address his late grandmother Ira Roshan as Dida out of affection.

14. Hrithik had certain ideas about how he wanted to portray Emperor Akbar in Jodhaa Akbar. When he was dubbing for the film, Karan Malhotra, then assistant to director Ashutosh Gowariker made some suggestions, which were initially rebuffed by the actor. When he saw the final version, he was dissatisfied and understood Malhotra’s point and decided to redub for Jodhaa Akbar all over again.

He also agreed to play Amitabh Bachchan’s iconic character for an Agneepath remake marking Malhotra’s directorial debut.

15. His pairing with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan may have created the maximum sizzle but he’s starred opposite Kareena Kapoor in the most number of films (Yaadein, Mujhse Dosti Karoge, Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham).

The fetching duo reunites on screen after a decade’s gap for Dharma Productions’ Shuddhi.

16. Hrithik has a thing for both cats and dogs. His pets included -- Puggy, a pug and cats, Pearl and Tiger and most recently a beagle named Paris for his boys -- Hrehaan and Hridaan. Sadly, Puggy and Pearl are no more.

17. Aamir Khan is synonymous with perfectionism but HR is no less. From learning roller-blading for Dhoom 2, taking sword-fighting lessons for Jodhaa Akbar to interacting with paraplegic patients as a preparation for his role in Guzaarish, the 40-year-old leaves no stone unturned.

18. Both Hrithik and his wife Sussanne, who recently announced their separation sport an identical tattoo --a six-point star with a red circle in the centre on their wrist.

19. The actor assisted his dad on films like Karan Arjun and Koyla. And considers King Uncle his dad’s least memorable movie.

20. Hrithik signed both Fiza and Mission Kashmir, where he plays a similar role -- of a young man misled into terrorism, before the release and stupendous success of Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai.

21. Rakesh Roshan isn’t the only one fixated on K. Roshan Jr also considers his granddad (J Om Prakash) a lucky charm since his calling the first shot for both his grown-up debut and Krrish 3 led to blockbuster hits.

22. His signature dance moves in KHNP’s Ek pal ka jeena became a nationwide craze but the first song he shot for the film was Pyaar Ki Kashti, again, choreographed by Farah Khan.

23. Though you can never tell by his confident words, Hrithik used to stutter as a child and had to see a speech therapist to get rid of this obstacle.

24. J W Mariott’s Spanish restaurant Arola is one of his favourite haunts when in the mood to binge.

25. Hrithik actually performed all the adrenalin pumping stunts of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara -- bull chasing, sky diving and underwater diving.

26. He’s a certified diver, by the way.

27. Though he rarely finds the time to hit the kitchen anymore, as a kid he’d like to cook eggs and potato chips.

28. During the making of Karan Johar’s star-studded Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Hrithik tried on a slim-fit sweater that barely touched his waistline. It looked so trendy that the actor decided to retain the same length for his entire wardrobe in the film and trimmed all his shirts with a pair of scissors.

29. As Krrish, he can fly but as a superstar he prefers to drive a swanky, creamy white Mercedes S500.

30. Everyone knows him as Bollywood’s most successful superhero Krrish, but who does he look up to? Superman, of course.

31. After Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, he’s the fifth Bollywood star to get his own wax statue installed at Madame Tussauds’ famed museum.

32. The Agneepath hero loves to both read and recommend books of all genres.

33. To be snapped by fans or photographers while he’s gorging on food is one of Hrithik’s greatest put-offs.

34. Most aspirants fail to live up to their word once they’ve made it big. Hrithik mania had already hit the roof following the insane response to KNPH but the young man made time to chat with his fans at the Rediff office, barely three days after the film’s release.

35. Would arrive at 5 am for shoot and patiently go through five to six hours of elaborate prosthetics for his makeovers in Dhoom 2 and shoot all through the day with it on.

36. Rated as one of industry’s best-dressed men, Hrithik loves to experiment with fashion. Even if a design seems too eccentric, he will not hesitate to try it out.

37. The hotstepper’s dance idols are Shammi Kapoor and Michael Jackson.

38. Hrithik is both -- flattered and grateful -- for regularly topping polls that brand him Sexiest Man Alive, Most Stylish or Gay Icon.

39. Even though he (humbly) begs to differ, experts like Saroj Khan, Govinda and Prabhu Dheva think he’s the best dancer in Bollywood.

40. Counted among the finest actors of his generation, Hrithik made quite an impact on the international audience with his film, Kites. Though panned in India, it earned him lavish praise from the likes of The Los Angeles Times, which called him “a sensational dancer” who “has the dashing, chiseled looks of a silent movie matinee idol.”