A-list actors have always been choosy. If you think Hrithik and Aamir are doing less films, you should know that Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor paved the way

WHILE channel surfing towards destination IPL, I caught the promos of Rakesh Roshan's new Hrithik starrer, Kites. Amidst the vehicle pile-ups and Barbara Mori close-ups, a thought struck meu00a0-- 'Long time no see, Hrithik'. I calculated and realised that it had been over two years since I last saw Hrithik in a full-fledged role (his cameo in Luck By Chance is just a statistic). His last film as a hero, Jodhaa Akbar, released in February 2008. Kites is slated for May 2010.

Talk about turning fastidiousness into fine art! Hrithik's absence from the screen is obviously not because of lack of offers -- after all, his last three films have all been hits. Interestingly, as I delved further into Hrithik's career, I found that in the last six years (2004-2009), he has appeared in only four filmsu00a0-- Lakshya, Krishh, Dhoom 2 and Jodhaa Akbar! All big budget ventures, and two blockbusters. But the score doesn't even average out to one film a year. Hrithik recently completed a decade in films, but in this span, beginning with Kaho Na Pyar Hai in 2000, the choosy star has done only 14 films in all.

Perhaps I am more amazed because I entered film journalism in the 1980s when the scenario was starkly different from this post-millennial numerical austerity.