In an unprecedented development, south Delhi`s most happening movie hall, Priya, has pulled out Mujhse Dosti Karoge before the Hrithik Roshan-Rani Mukherjee-Kareena Kapoor starrer could complete a week and replaced it with Gurinder Chadha`s Bend It Like Beckham. The writing is on the wall: Hrithik doesn`t sell anymore. But there is hope yet. Hrithik must reinvent himself quickly if he wishes to survive as a top male star. What is it about Hrithik that his turning away his one-time fans? It is the irritating sameness that he brings to the roles he essays.

In Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai, his style was fresh because people hadn`t seen him before. So he made a mark with his Greek God looks and exceptional dancing abilities. But now, the act has gone predictable and stale. Hence the string of flops in the past few months - Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage, Na Tum Jaano Na Hum and now, Mujhse Dosti Karoge. Perhaps the greatest mistake Hrithik Roshan has made is in insisting on playing himself in every film, an attribute that he seems to have borrowed from Salman Khan, the actor who reportedly helped him develop the striking muscles he flashes on screen. Salman has got away with his non-actor tag because he arrived on the scene at a time when it was enough to look good, dress cool and move well. The rules of the game have changed today with actors replacing stars as the driving forces. It`s the era of Manoj Bajpai and Vivek Oberoi, guys who are stars because they are actors first. Gone are the days when you could dance your way to fame.

The sooner Hrithik Roshan realises that the better. Time is fast running out on him. He has announced the intention to slow down and concentrate on quality work in future. On how he defines `quality` will hinge his future as a Bollywood actor. To begin, he must play characters, not pretty cutouts!