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After having appeared in films as a child actor in the 1980s, Roshan made his film debut in a leading role in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000) for which Roshan earned his Filmfare Awards for Best Actor and Best Male Debut. In 2001, he went on to appear in the melodrama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham..., which became India's highest-grossing film in the overseas market.
Following through with several unnoticed performances from 2002–03, he starred in the commercially successful Koi... Mil Gaya and its sequel Krrish, both of which won him numerous Best Actor awards. Roshan received his third Filmfare Award for Best Actor in 2006 for his performance in the action film Dhoom 2, his biggest commercial success to date. He later received critical acclaim for his performance in Jodhaa Akbar, for which he received his first international award at the Golden Minbar International Film Festival. These accomplishments have established him as a leading contemporary actor of Hindi cinema.
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In 2000, Roshan made his film debut as the leading man in the film Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai opposite another debutante actress Amisha Patel. The film, which was directed by his father and saw him playing a double role, proved to be very successful at the box office, becoming the highest grossing film of 2000 and winner of the Filmfare Best Movie Award. Roshan's performance was well-received, and the film made him an overnight star. He eventually received both the Filmfare Best Male Debut Award and the Filmfare Best Actor Award for the role. The film entered the Limca Book of Records in 2003 for the most number of awards won by a Bollywood film – 102 awards.
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Roshan's last release of the year, Mission Kashmir, became the third highest grossing film of the year. His performance was once again acclaimed with one critic praising him, "Hrithik once again cuts a splendid performance as a youngster sucked in the vortex of terrorism. He is portrayed as anti-government in the early part of the film-- a bold role to play for even a seasoned actor, leave alone a budding superstar." All these achievements promoted him as one of the biggest stars in the industry.
Subhash Ghai's Yaadein was his first release in 2001. This was followed by Karan Johar's melodramatic Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, which did extremely well at the box office, becoming the second-highest grossing film of 2001 and the biggest hit overseas. Roshan's performance was well received and his performance earned him a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at various award ceremonies.
Roshan had an unsuccessful year in 2002 when all three of his releases – Mujhse Dosti Karoge!, Na Tum Jaano Na Hum and Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage – failed to make an impact the box office and were declared flops.
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