When Rekha SLAPPED Hrithik Roshan for real in 'Koi… Mil Gaya': ‘Immediately all my emotions came out'

Time of India

18-05-2025

Rakesh Roshan
's film '
Koi… Mil Gaya
' (2003) is a special movie in
Bollywood
history. Starring
Hrithik Roshan
,
Preity Zinta
, and
Rekha
, it became a huge hit and an important moment in Hrithik's acting career. Talking about the film, Hrithik once shared a fascinating story about a tough day on set.
The big goof-up on set: Prepared for the wrong scene
For Hrithik, playing
Rohit
, a specially-abled young man, was a deeply emotional experience. But even the most dedicated actors can have off days. He shared with Pinkvilla, 'I had landed up on set and I realised that I had come prepared for the wrong scene and we had to do the scene in which Rekha slaps me when I cry and ask why am I not normal, why did God do this to me. That's when she narrates the flashback. It was the deepest and most difficult scene in the whole film and I had not prepared, some miscommunication happened.'
It wasn't a small scene either—it was one of the film's most emotional moments, where Rohit breaks down and questions his fate. The gravity of the mistake hit Hrithik hard.
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Frozen with fear: 45 minutes of numbness
The moment Hrithik realised the mistake, panic set in. He recalled, 'I remember I came in my car and just as I arrived, I rolled the window down and the assistant handed over the scene to me. I took a look at it and told him it was the wrong scene and he said 'nahi sir yehi scene hain aaj ka' (no sir, this is the scene today). I had realised that I had made a mistake when I checked… I went numb. I sat in that car in that position for 45 minutes, I could not even move my fingers. Something just scared the hell out of me and I don't know what that feeling was but I just stayed there for 45 minutes, trying to figure a way to be able to move on and do that scene.' Frozen in his car, unable to move, Hrithik felt the weight of the scene and the pressure of living up to expectations, especially with his father Rakesh Roshan directing.
No sympathy from Dad
There was no chance the shoot would be cancelled just because Hrithik wasn't ready. He knew his father, a strict and practical filmmaker, wouldn't budge. 'I knew Papa is not going to cancel the scene. I knew I have to bring myself to the point where I can start doing the scene,' he said.
So, how did he manage to pull himself together? Music played a big part. Hrithik explained, 'Then slowly I got off and that decision was a huge one. I had a song called Forever Young by Alphaville which I used to play. I played this song three-four times and found the posture of Rohit again,' and then, he went ahead with the scene.
Rekha's slap that saved the scene
Now came the actual shoot. Hrithik still had the pressure of delivering a powerful performance, but what happened next became one of the most unforgettable moments of his career. Talking about it, Hrithik said, 'I am so glad that
Rekha slapped
me for real in that scene. Thapp karke saare emotions aa gaye (all the emotions came at once). She really slapped me, she really went for it.'
That single slap, jolted Hrithik straight into character. It wasn't planned to be that intense, but it worked, and Hrithik was grateful. The scene turned out exactly how it needed to be: raw, painful, and powerful.
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