‘The Roshans’ docu-series review: An expected trip down memory lane

Hrithik Roshan, Rajesh Roshan, Rakesh Roshan in ‘The Roshans’. Photo Credit: Netflix

Successful Bollywood families maintain a certain mythos that arouses interest in their inner workings. There are many connections and contacts that propel these careers, but a lot more must go right across the generations for them to find their footing in mainstream Hindi cinema. As Asha Bhosle commented at the beginning Roshans“It is not normal that an artist’s entire family becomes artists…but this happened with the Roshan family.” Netflix’s latest docu-series tries to parse through the decades of filmmaking that have defined the Roshan family, but ends with a true reminiscence of the good times.

Rakesh Roshan, Roshan Lal Nagrath, Rajesh Roshan in ‘The Roshans’. Photo Credit: Netflix

Starting the journey from Roshan Nagrath to the Roshan family, the docu-series brings together a contingent of people who worked with or were inspired by him to talk about the music director’s immense body of work. Asha Bhosle, Suman Kalyanpur, Sudha Malhotra, and Usha Mangeshkar recall lively practice sessions with Roshan Nagrath; Rakesh Roshan gives a more personal insight into the mind of the artiste who collaborated with Sahir Ludhianvi and Mohammed Rafi to deliver the title track of the Madhubala starrer in the 1960s. rainy nightA small cameo by the late Ameen Sayani, the iconic radio presenter, reinforces the sweeping but quiet impact of Roshan Nagrath’s work.

Divided into four parts, the docu-series moves on to trace the careers of Rajesh, Rakesh and Hrithik Roshan in the remaining three episodes. The showrunners establish a reliable formula banking on remembered professional stories, family memories and archival footage to bring the men to light. It is safe as well as effective, providing the kind of at-home experience they are aiming for. As they talk about Rajesh Roshan wanting to follow his father’s footsteps and pursue a successful career in music direction, the camera pans from one renowned industry legend to another. Meanwhile, before finding success in direction, Rakesh took up other jobs in the industry, trying his hand at acting and producing. His rise also coincided with the debut of his son Hrithik, who completes 25 years in the Hindi film industry this year.

Hrithik Roshan in ‘The Roshans’ Photo Credit: Netflix

The Roshan family has a unique threefold vantage point in mainstream Hindi cinema. With music direction, film direction and acting, he has been exposed to the inner workings of the industry from 1948 to the present day. However, the insights of these four episodes do not match the weight of these artists’ creative legacies. Rakesh and Hrithik Roshan in particular have been interviewed more extensively for the show, and while they do reach into some vulnerable areas, they are mostly guarded.

Since the series is produced by Rakesh Roshan himself, the story is more forgiving and easy on the family. It is also marked at times by the absence of discussions on Hrithik’s career trajectory with other directors. So it makes one wonder what the product could have been like with a more objective look at the family. However, for now, if you want to know about the Roshans, a relaxing four-episode trip down memory lane will do the trick to some extent.

The Roshans is available to stream on Netflix