Most accurate observation in RoshansA four-part documentary on the famous Roshan family of Hindi cinema, produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. As one of the many celebrity talking heads, talking about actor-turned-director Rakesh Roshan, Bhansali says, “I thought he was a very intelligent person who had little to no experience in doing the films that were being made at that time. Wasn’t uncomfortable.”
Rakesh Roshan acted in all types of films in the 1970s and 80s. With his attractive looks and inquisitive manner, he kept himself in the business and often played second fiddle to more established stars like Rajesh Khanna and Rishi Kapoor. Despite his lineage (his father was composer Roshan Lal Nagrath), he had a rough start in the industry, assisting director Mohan Kumar and, as he recounts in documentaries, organizing house parties for industry stalwarts. “I will set the table and chairs and order the food. I was always in the background,” he recalls in an interview The Hindu.
Roshan made his first directorial debut, selfishRemastered version of Jeffrey Archer’s ‘Cane and Abel’ in 1987. His second film, bloody demand(1989), starring Rekha and Kabir Bedi, was even more iconic – a charming, highly compelling croc thriller that shocked audiences and left a lasting mark on popular culture.
The famous crocodile scene of ‘Khoon Bhari Maang’
“If you look carefully, there is a trick shot where it looks like Rekha and the crocodile are in the same frame, which they were not,” says Roshan, now 75, frail but articulate, winking. They say. Crocodile shot separately in 3 feet deep lake in Chennai; The actors filmed their parts at Abbey Falls in Coorg.
“There used to be a man who supplied animals for film shoots: horses, camels and other similar animals. He was surprised by my request for a crocodile,” says Roshan, laughing. Ajay Devgan’s father Veeru Devgan was the film’s action director, while Roshan’s longtime collaborator Sanjay Verma, who died in 2023, handled editing.
“I shot the crocodile from multiple angles – underwater, from above, mouth open, grabbing flesh – and we combined it in the edit.”
I asked him if this was his hardest move. “That was really magic Someone… found it (2003),” he countered. Australian special effects specialist James Colmer designed the animatronics head for the gentle blue alien who befriends Hrithik. Its movements and facial expressions were controlled remotely via remote, creating challenges in convincing the scene to work with real actors. “My solution was to take a wide shot and only then do a close-up. In short, this was a similar editing solution bloody demand,
Photos from ‘Koi…Mil Gaya’
Roshan cites David Lean and Raj Kapoor as his biggest influences. “I saw dr zhivago Worked in theater 28 times in my youth,” he shares. His is the definitive Raj Kapoor film shree 420“I must have watched it 500 times. To this day, whenever I start a new movie, I watch it again. It was a perfect, forward-looking film for its time, showing all the exciting changes happening in the stock market and our society.
Roshan’s films emphasize scale and beautiful locations; For example, although ostensibly this musical is set in Nainital Someone… found it Shot in Alberta, Canada. “The films they make today… are much darker and more interconnected. I feel nervous looking at them.” He argues that a picturesque setting does not diminish the realism of a film. “All my films are about a common man and some injustice that he is fighting. There is in them a form of ancient truth.”
Roshan’s two biggest blockbusters, Karan Arjun And say no…i love youRecently re-released in theaters. During this time, Krishna 4, The next chapter of his successful sci-fi superhero franchise is expected to debut this year. Earlier in an interview, Roshan had hinted at retiring from direction. Now he is withdrawing his statement.
“I am ready to direct Krishna 4It is a film with heavy special effects. with age, I’m running out of patience (I’m running out of patience with that thing). But I want to continue working as a director, perhaps in a more practical way.
published – January 25, 2025 05:56 PM IST
