At the launch of The Roshans on Thursday, a documentary about one of the most celebrated families of Bollywood, actor Hrithik Roshan opened up on the legacy of his grandfather, father and uncle, and how they’ve evolved with the cinema of the country and yet have managed to stick to their roots. The Krrish actor, who is known to be quite reserved off-screen, shared that he was initially ’embarrassed’ about speaking his heart out about his personal life on camera.
“When my father said that he wanted to make this documentary, at first, I felt embarrassed. I don’t like attention. Then I realised, no, this is not about me. It’s not about me at all. This is about history and history is important. It is the history of my ancestors, my parents, my grandfather, my chacha; the history that was in my cells that gave me that drive to become an actor. These are the stories that inspired me so much that I was unstoppable,” he shared.
Hrithik stated that while he never met his grandfather, legendary music director Roshan Lal Nagrath, he was proud to have imbibed even a tiny bit of his legacy. “I wonder if I would somehow magically get a chance, what would be the conversation I would have with my grandfather. After seeing the documentary, I would actually like to ask him about his childhood, about the things he went through. I wonder what he would ask me. I think he may ask me if I am happy,” the actor said, while paying a tribute to the late Roshan.
“I would thank him because I often wonder, what was that drive that I had when I was doing my first film? Where did it come from? The simplest answer is that it was already there. It was in my cells. It was something that was passed on. It’s like they say, intelligence passes on in your cells. That’s what genetic evolution is. You pass on and you get better,” he gushed.
Hrithik also quipped that if he got a chance to meet his grandfather, he would share his son’s compositions with him.
The Roshans delves into the lives of Hrithik, Rakesh and Rajesh Roshan, and their journey triumphs and tribulations in the world of acting and music. It will also trace the infamous incident of Rakesh Roshan being shot at in Mumbai in the 2000s.
The documentary will feature a number of big names from B-Town including Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Ranbir Kapoor, Asha Bhosle, Preity Zinta, Vicky Kaushal, Anu Malik, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and others, telling their own little tale of working with the Roshan family. It is set to premiere on Netflix on January 17.
