For filmmaker Rakesh Roshan, the idea of the Netflix documentary The Roshans came as a tribute to his late father, veteran composer Roshan. What started as a discussion with filmmaker Shashi Ranjan on what he could do to make the newer generation aware of Roshan's musical legacy, the docu-series eventually became more than just about the late composer's work and more about the Roshan family and its contribution to Hindi cinema. "I thought that if we make only on my father, we won't reach a wider audience. I told Shashi that let's make on three generations of Roshans," said Rakesh Roshan while speaking to WION recently. 

"About 8-10 years ago, there was a transistor that came out, it had 5000-10,000 songs in it. It had every music director's name, singer's name, and filmmaker's name. I used to hear these songs. One day, I tried to look up for my father's songs. I couldn't find his name, felt very bad about it. While his songs were there, my father's name wasn't there. It disturbed me," recalled Rakesh Roshan. 

The filmmaker-actor's father, Roshan, had created iconic songs like "Jo Wada Kiya Hai", "Rahe Na Rahe Hum," and "Laga Chunari Mein Daag" among others. Many of his songs became cult classics, yet his son felt that not many knew about it. The Roshans not only highlights the late composer's work but also talks of Rakesh Roshan's acting career, his foray into filmmaking, his younger brother Rajesh Roshan's journey as a successful composer, and Hrithik Roshan's superstardom. 

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Timing was perfect

Both Shashi Ranjan, the director of the series, as well as Rakesh Roshan felt that the timing for the documentary was perfect. Admitting that the feedback on the series has been extremely heartening, Rakesh said, "The idea was good. Everything fell at the right time and right place, Shashi worked hard on this. Didn't know what Hrithik and my brother spoke about me. Didn't know what others said about the film. But Shashi weaved the whole thing into a beautiful series."

For Ranjan, it was a project of a 'lifetime'. "This documentary has been a lifetime thing for me. Having so many stars—Asha Bhosle, Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik in the series—one can only dream of such an ensemble. It is a great feather in my cap—if I can say so—that I got so many people together in one go for a project. I am thankful that people have liked it; otherwise, I would have gotten brickbats that I have assembled so many stars and yet not been able to deliver. The idea was that the greats who have been forgotten should be known to the newer generation. The younger lot should know what kind of contribution they have made, what legacy they have created in Bollywood." 

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On Hrithik being pitted against Shah Rukh Khan post-Kaho Naa..Pyaar Hai

Hrithik Roshan catapulted to superstardom when he made his debut in Kaho Na..Pyaar Hai in 2000. Soon after his debut and the success of the film, most were quick to write off reigning star Shah Rukh Khan and called Hrithik the next big thing. Rakesh Roshan, who had worked with SRK very early in his career and made blockbuster films like Karan Arjun and Koyla, said that the two families (Roshans and Khans) dealt with the media comparison in a mature way. Did they ever address it in person with SRK, we asked, to which Roshan responded, "No we never spoke about this. Both families are very mature, we didn't have these conversations about others trying to compare two actors. Shah Rukh is par excellence, and Hrithik is still a kid in front of him. But they are both good actors." 

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Khan remains close to the Roshan family and even appears on The Roshans recalling his working with Rakesh Roshan in three films. 

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On finding success as a filmmaker

In the series, Roshan recalled an incident where he and his wife were asked to step aside at a party by the media as they wanted to click photos of Jeetendra and Rishi Kapoor. Roshan, Jeetendra, and Rishi Kapoor were known to be close friends, but unlike them, Rakesh was not a successful actor.
 
Did the incident affect him in any way, we asked. "That incident gave me further confidence, that I must prove myself, said Roshan, adding, "When you are at the top, everyone admires and loves you, not so much when you are not that successful- it happens everywhere. It was my fault that I couldn't prove myself. But these things pushed me to work hard and prove myself. 

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'Always knew Hrithik was a good actor'

Rakesh Roshan admitted that he couldn't have predicted the huge success of Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai when he started making it. Although he knew that his son, Hrithik Roshan had a lot of potential in him. "I always knew Hrithik was a good actor. When he was training for acting, he would make videos and show it to my wife. Pinky would show it to me and I could see he had a lot of material in him." 

"No one could imagine Kaho Na..Pyaar Hai would become this huge. It was magical," the director noted. 

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Having dabbled in acting, producing, and filmmaking, Roshan admitted that he enjoyed direction the most. "Naturally, where you get success, you enjoy that part more. I wasn't a successful actor but I see that success through my son- I feel I am there whenever he is acting."

Both Shashi Ranjan and Rakesh Roshan felt that The Roshans worked with the audience because everyone spoke with honesty and because many could resonate with the struggles that the family went through. "Many could connect to Roshans. The way they candidly spoke about their failures as well as successes, that connected with many. There was an emotional connection with the show."