Rakesh Roshan on Hrithik's rise to fame, family tragedy after Kaho Naa... success

Veteran filmmaker Rakesh Roshan, in an exclusive interview, reflected on son Hrithik Roshan's popularity after Kaho Naa...Pyaar Hai's release. The director spoke about how his son handled the attention when the entire family was going through a tough time.

In Short

• Kaho Naa...Pyaar Hai re-released in theatres on January 10
• Rakesh Roshan opened up about his son Hrithik's popularity
• He spoke about the challenging time at home amid the film's success

Veteran filmmaker Rakesh Roshan is delighted to witness the reaction of fans once again after his 2000 film Kaho Naa...Pyaar Hai re-released in theatres today, January 10. In an exclusive interaction with India Today Digital, the director spoke about how his son, actor Hrithik Roshan, who marked his debut with the film, handled his fan-following 25 years back amid tough times at home.

The re-release of Kaho Naa...Pyaar Hai coincided with a tragedy at the Roshan house when gunshots were fired at Rakesh Roshan. This incident took place days after he launched his son Hrithik with the film, which was a huge hit at the box office.

While talking about the same, the 75-year-old actor-director said, “When the film was released, Hrithik had to handle all the attention on his own because, unfortunately, I was shot by the mafia within a week and was in the hospital. He was dealing with two major situations simultaneously—his debut film becoming a massive hit with everyone praising him, and his father being critically injured and hospitalised. It was an incredibly challenging time for us. However, by God’s grace, I recovered, and our journey since then has been remarkable.”

Rakesh Roshan is elated to celebrate the silver jubilee of the popular film that is still a fan-favourite. Elaborating on the same, he said, “As a filmmaker, I’m truly happy that people still remember the movie even after 25 years. It’s a great achievement. In November, I re-released Karan Arjun, and now, I’m re-releasing Kaho Naa...Pyaar Hai. It’s amazing to see people returning to experience a film they’ve watched umpteen times before, and even more exciting is the fact that younger generations are eager to watch it on the big screen. Overall, it’s a wonderful feeling.”

Directed by Rakesh Roshan, the film also marked the debut of Ameesha Patel alongside Hrithik.

The film’s re-release is special for fans as it is Hrithik Roshan’s 51st birthday as well. KNPH is available for screening at PVR INOX starting January 10.