By Subhash K. Jha, IANS

While his kiss with "Dhoom 2" co-star Aishwarya Rai raised many moral eyebrows, Hrithik Roshan is unperturbed and says "anything physical" is not necessarily unbecoming.

"If I thought it was unnecessary or unbecoming I wouldn't have done it. It's all about moral perceptions. To someone with a backward mindset even holding hands in public is scandalous. In the West, kissing in public is absolutely normal. It's sad that we categorise anything physical as unbecoming," Hrithik told IANS.

He refuses to believe there's a widespread outcry against the kiss. A legal suit has been filed in Indore against Hrithik for his hot kissing scene.

"It's just one man (an Indore-based lawyer) who has objected. He doesn't represent any section of people. He's a lawyer sitting in his office and enjoying every bit of attention. I believe he's excited about a TV camera in his office. It's like a burst of glory in his life. I'm totally indifferent to this kind of behaviour. It's time for a change."

After "Dhoom 2" he is recognised as a sexy star and his fans have flooded him with adulation and appreciation.

"I continue to get messages galore. I enjoy all of them, the sweet, polite and graphic. As it's going, 'Dhoom 2' will become the biggest hit ever! The collections are insane. Overseas, Mumbai and in some other places it has already crossed the entire business of 'Krrish'. I'm so glad it all worked out."

Hrithik is optimistic about the future.

"The collective consciousness of society regarding moral values is evolving. I dream big movies and visuals. For me the kissing scene in 'Dhoom 2' is one such visual. It's a moment when long-withheld love between my character and the girl he loves culminates in a kiss.

"It's a beautiful scene. In fact, it's one of the primary scenes driving forward the love story of Sunehri and my character Aryan."

Hrithik admits he had never done a kissing scene before.

"I did give it a lot of thought. There was enough reason and inspiration here to go ahead. I tried to make it as beautiful as possible. And I stand by it completely."

So how does it feel to be called the new No.1?

"Great! But it's futile to do mental gymnastics about my box office position. These are numbers meant to only inflate your ego. I'm enjoying it, yes. It's very important for me to understand that people are only trying to make me happy by calling me Rock Star and No.1, or whatever. I'd rather not waste my time thinking about this.

"I've done good work and 'Dhoom 2' worked. What made it work was that all of us in the film were on the same side. All of us - Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya, Uday Chopra, Bipasha Basu and I - were trying to make the same film. That's why we had such a happy ending."

Suddenly the 20-something generation is rooting for Hrithik.

"Agreed, they're an attraction. But I think what worked for my character is that I played a cool guy for the first time. I did play one in the second-half of 'Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai. But that's it.

The actor believes that "Dhoom 2" has given him a much-needed makeover.

"Earlier, I was relegated to playing goody two-shoes - you know, the consummate do-gooder with a sweet smile on his face. After the nerd and the innocent 'Koi ...Mil Gaya' and 'Krrish', it's very re-assuring to know I'm capable of jumping from one end of the image-spectrum to another.

"As an actor it's very satisfying to be accepted in 'Dhoom 2'. The entire credit for that should be given to stylist Anaida. I can't even begin to take credit for my look. Right from the conception stage Anaida led me into the look."

So far it was believed good-looking people weren't capable of performing well. Hrithik has definitely proved that wrong.

"The fact that they're considered great actors, makes them good looking. An actor may not be into gyming and slimming. He still has all the women lusting after him. How do you explain that? There's a secret ingredient, which you exude and radiate as an actor. That's the quality that makes you sexy."