Hrithik to star in Anurag Basu's next

There's bad and good news for Hrithik Roshan's fans in 2008. Hrithik's next starrer would not be directed by his father. In fact, papa Roshan has decided to take a long sabbatical from direction.

But hold on. Rakesh Roshan is producing a film to start in July 2008 that will feature Hrithik in a never-before avatar. "It's an action thriller with a strong love story at its heart. Anurag Basu, whom both I and Hrithik think very highly of, is directing the film for us," reveals Rakesh Roshan a week before year-end, thereby putting an end to all wild speculation about the seriousness of Hrithik's knee injury.

It's been a time of turmoil for Hrithik Roshan. A troublesome knew injury finally decided to act up seriously. "The doctors told him he needed to rest the knee completely, and I mean completely, otherwise it would give way. The injury got aggravated from all the stunts in his recent films including Krissh. It got to a point where his knee gave way completely. The doctors said he had to take complete rest for two months or face the consequences," says concerned papa Rakesh Roshan. Hrithik who has just returned from two weeks in Singapore now leaves for the Gold Coast for further recuperation.

He returns to perform an intricate item number for his father's first non-Hrithik production Krazzy 4. "Well, people always wondered how I could make a film without Hrithik. So here he is, all set to do his career's first item song. My brother Rajesh Roshan has already recorded the song and I'm putting up an elaborate set for the song to be shot in March 2008. However, let me warn Hrithik's fans, if I feel his knee is not up to it, I won't shoot the song."