Super 30: Anand Kumar on Hrithik Roshan playing him, and how the film has changed his life completely

Indian educationalist and mathematician Anand Kumar, whose life and educational programme is the subject of the upcoming film Super 30, never thought that his initiative for underprivileged kids will be turned into a feature film. Starring Hrithik Roshan, the highly anticipated film is set to release on 12 July. [caption id=“attachment_6751661” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Hrithik Roshan and Anand Kumar[/caption] Speaking to Firstpost, Kumar shared his struggles. “I never imagined that Super 30 would be such a successful initiative. I couldn’t go to Cambridge, as I didn’t have flight fare. Soon after my father’s sudden death, I used to sell papad and then I would teach little kids. That time, I never thought that this program will be such a hit. I started in 1997 and in 2002, I created Super 30. It’s been 19 years and slowly, it has expanded. When this movie was planned, I couldn’t believe that my story would reach millions.” According to the mathematician, portraying his life was a huge challenge for Hrithik, and he left no stone unturned while preparing for the role. He even shared how Hrithik bagged the film. “Sanjeev Dutta (writer) wrote this story nine years ago but no one was ready to make a film on it. Two years ago, many producers and directors came with offers. I met everyone but I hadn’t seen a person as curious and excited like Hrithik Roshan. He is a very good actor and he said: ‘The movie is very tough. Give me at least a year to get into your skin and I will do it perfectly’. Right from his dialect to facial expressions, I was convinced that he (Hrithik Roshan) will do the best job.” Kumar noted that initially people were doubtful about Hrithik for his biopic. “Many of them told me that it is stupid to select him as he has done films on the lines of Bang Bang! and Krrish. But see how well he has played it. The public is surprised to see him in such an avatar. My little girl shouts ‘papa-papa’ whenever the trailer comes on TV or the computer. My mother cried and even she believes in it. And that’s a huge compliment for me.” Anand Kumar believes that after this film, there will be more experiments in the educational sector and it will be beneficial to people. Kumar remarked how the makers kept him involved during the making and took his inputs seriously. “As far as I’ve read and heard, generally in biopics, people do take advice from the personality but they don’t keep them involved in the making. But here, they kept me involved. Vikas Bahl and Sanjeev Dutta came to Patna for eight months during scripting. We had 5-6 meetings. Hrithik Roshan filmed a 100-150 hour showreel within a week which covered my candid normal life. The makers worked really hard on it.” Anand further added that the biggest reason behind eight months of scripting was that he asked the makers to keep the story away from too much drama and present it in a real and interesting way. [caption id=“attachment_6751661” align=“alignnone” width=“1200”] Hrithik Roshan in a still from Super 30[/caption] Anand’s efforts have been appreciated all over the world, with extensive coverage of his work by international media. He was even invited as a guest in Amitabh Bachchan’s Kaun Banega Crorepati Season 9 but he believes that this film has already changed his life completely. “With this film, everything has changed. Now people are coming to shoot a couple of endorsements with me. Many things are happening. It feels good but at the same time, it’s sad too because when bigger things happen, your enemy also gets bigger, opposition grows stronger,” Kumar said. Anand admitted that he has been offered help by many industrialists and politicians but he has refused to accept it. “There are many people who want to support through CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) initiatives — Mukesh Ambani ji, Anand Mahendra ji, Prime Minister ji, Chief Minister ji. But I haven’t taken money from any of them. Even without taking any money, my brother has been hit by a truck; someone tries to defame me; people write whatever they want on Wikipedia; So, I’m a little tense with the film’s release. Don’t assume that everything will be as pleasant as it looks,“Anand said.

Super 30 founder even shared that both Hrithik and Vikas are ready to help him realise his vision as he is soon planning to open a residential school for unprivileged kids only.