It’s been a month of debunking newly spun myths. Without wading into a debate on box-office collections or wondering if Ranbir Kapoor can collect his fee until investors like Disney-Fox-Prime Focus and others have recovered their money, let’s just say that in creating an aura of blockbuster business, the beleaguered Hindi film industry has succeeded in at least checkmating fatigued boycott calls.

Another perception that just got busted was that the Khan era was over. Apart from the novelty of a laser show in a product made in India, if there was unanimity over anything in Brahmastra, it was that watching Shah Rukh Khan after such a long break was like meeting an old friend. Didn’t even realise we missed him until we saw him. Following repeated failures like Fan, When Harry Met Sejal and Zero, it was a Chanakya move to hit the pause button and surface after a couple of years to say, “Hey folks, I’m still around”. It has worked.

This time next week, a perception created solely on social media will also be smashed. When Hrithik Roshan called Laal Singh Chaddha “magnificent”, urged people not to “miss this gem” and said, “It’s beautiful, just beautiful,” people wondered if he’d become clueless about what the audience wanted. But take it from me, he is a smart cookie. Tweeting solidarity with his fraternity is one thing and signing on the dotted line is quite another. He learnt it sufficiently early in life — two years into his career, he was nearly written off for believing stardom came with bagging all the big banners in town.

Hrithik had indiscriminately signed films with every Ghai, Chopra, Barjatya, Akhtar and some assorted uncles, without listening to their scripts. Uncle Mohan Kumar’s Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage, YRF’s Mujhse Dosti Karoge, Subhash Ghai’s Yaadein, Barjatya’s Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon and Farhan Akhtar’s Lakshya were some of the many commercial disappointments that threatened to finish his career.

Over the years, what Hrithik has mastered is the art of saying, “No, I’m not convinced”. With big banners no longer the lure, variety in his choice of scripts became his lodestar. Two decades ago, for the lad of Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai, it would’ve been unthinkable to say no to Dharma Productions and yes to writer-directors Pushkar and Gayatri, a husband-wife team you haven’t heard of. By the way, there’ve been unsourced stories that Hrithik turned down Dev, the sequel to Brahmastra. But a leak from the producers admitted that he’d said no to Brahmastra too before it went to Ranbir Kapoor.

Instead, he enthusiastically put his all into Vikram Vedha. With good reason. Like S.S. Rajamouli was unknown to the Hindi audience before Karan Johar backed him in Baahubali and helped make him an all-India brand, Hrithik was animated by the storytelling skills of Pushkar and Gayatri, who had so far made films only in Tamil. Watch their intricate and layered storytelling in Suzhal — The Vortex, a crime thriller on Amazon and you’ll know why Hrithik is so gung-ho about their Vikram Vedha.

There’s a whisper that Hrithik has gone beyond his job as actor and helped coordinate even the background score of Vikram Vedha to give it a Hindi film sensibility, apart from overseeing the marketing strategy of his new release. Given Pushkar and Gayatri’s visual awesomeness and compelling storytelling, there’s an intuitive feeling that Vikram Vedha will be the dark horse of the season.

After darkening his skin in Super 30, attracting even the male gaze in War and turning a colourful criminal in Vikram Vedha, Hrithik has carved a unique position for himself as the Greek God who can do it all. If you ask me, the only natural progression for Hrithik will be to wear his cape and woo an international market in his next intergalactic expedition.

Talking of widening markets, it’s a joyous moment for the film industry that cinemas have opened in J&K after three decades. Hopefully, the abrogation of Article 370 will ensure all-India uniformity and no extra-judicial censor will sneak in to make films “J&K appropriate”.

Bharathi S. Pradhan is a senior journalist and author