Hrithik loves challenges: 'Agneepath' director

New Delhi: Debutant director Karan Malhotra says actor Hrithik Roshan, who is taking on the role of Amitabh Bachchan in 'Agneepath' remake, constantly looked for new challenges during the making of the movie.

When Hrithik stepped into 'Agneepath', he made it clear that he will not emulate Bachchan's portrayal of Vijay Deenanath Chauhan and instead approach the character in his own way. Malhotra, who has taken the task of recreating the popular movie with a new star cast, says he shared a collaborative relationship with Hrithik during filming.

"He (Hrithik) is a treat for every director. He loves to discuss, debate and most importantly be shocked. He thrives on such challenges. Once he is on, he gives full support to a film without any interference. He doesn't work just for his own character, he works for the whole film," Malhotra told PTI.

Sanjay Dutt is playing the nemesis in the movie and going by the reaction to his first look, it seems that the antagonist may overshadow the hero this time but Malhotra says it was not intentional.

"He is not Dutt in the film, he is the character Kaancha. I don't think it was intentional that villain would look big and the hero would be small," Malhotra said. "Both Sanjay and Hrithik are big and powerful in their own way. I have this belief that bigger the villain, more powerful the fight because at the end of it all, he has to succumb to the hero. Dutt is just the perfect villain for any hero to conquer and in 'Agneepath' it would be no different."

Also starring Priyanka Chopra and Rishi Kapoor, the film is slated to hit the screens on January 26.