Hrithik's MJ moment

The story’s been doing the rounds since December 2008, but Hrithik Roshan only now produced this picture of his unexpected and eventful meeting with Michael Jackson in LA last year.

Maybe he didn’t think it was a big deal earlier, but now with Jackson dead, and looking at the worldwide mourning for the King of Pop — Hrithik couldn’t help sharing his moment with the great singer.

According to the Roshans, Jackson casually walked into Hrithik’s makeup room in a Bel Air apartment in LA, where the actor was shooting for Kites. The story goes that first Jackson’ bodyguards entered. Hrithik was taken aback to see the burly men. On questioning them, he learned that they were Jackson’s bodyguards come to do a recce as the pop star was shooting the next day at the same venue.

Coincidentally, Jackson also dropped in the same day as the Kites team was shooting. “My name is Michael,” he is reported to have told Hrithik, his Mexican co-star Barbara Mori, and Rakesh Roshan. “It was funny to see someone like him who the whole world knows introducing himself. Jackson and Hrithik spoke for a short time and then the singer left,” said a source.
“I’ve been a huge Jackson fan since childhood,” said Hrithik. “So dad requested the mansion owner that we’d like to come over and meet Jackson. Instead he turned up in the room to meet us. That meeting is etched in my memory.”

According to Roshan Sr, “Michael Jackson was very curious about our shooting.” Naturally, the Roshans were grief-stricken when they heard the news of his untimely death on June 25. Anything else they remember about that meeting? They do, actually. The singer, who was usually seen wearing gloves, didn’t have them on that day!