Last Updated:January 30, 2025, 13:41 IST

Rakesh Roshan opened up on his son Hrithik Roshan’s beginning in the industry and revealed he worked as his assistant for several years before his acting break in 2000.

The Roshans is streaming on Netflix. (Photo Credits: Instagram)

Netflix India’s new docuseries, The Roshans, offers an exclusive look into the journey of Bollywood’s iconic Roshan family, spanning three generations—from music director Roshan Lal Nagrath to his son Rajesh, filmmaker Rakesh Roshan, and actor Hrithik Roshan. While the documentary has sparked discussions about nepotism, Rakesh Roshan and director Shashi Ranjan recently addressed these claims in an interview with Draw Your Box, insisting there is “nothing like nepotism.”

During the conversation, Rakesh Roshan reflected on his son Hrithik’s entry into the industry. He revealed that Hrithik worked as his assistant for several years before making his acting debut in the 2000 release, Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai, which was directed by Rakesh himself. Rakesh shared, “We always cast people who are right for the role. I knew Hrithik well and saw how hard he worked. He assisted me for four years, and when he joined the school and showcased his acting, I could see he had everything it took. That’s when I decided to launch him.”

Asserting that Hrithik bagged the opportunity for his capabilities, he continued, “Had he not had all these things, I would have never launched him. So we launch actors and actresses on their capability.”

The Roshans docuseries, consisting of four episodes with an average 45-minute duration, offers an unprecedented look into the lives of the iconic family. The series presents the Roshan family sharing personal stories from their journey in the film industry, along with celebrity guests offering their anecdotes. The series begins with a focus on Roshan Lal Nagrath, credited with revolutionising Bollywood’s music scene through his timeless compositions. The story then transitions to his son, Rajesh Roshan, highlighting his early struggles as a composer. It’s revealed in the series that Rajesh’s mother sought help from lyricist Anand Bakshi to find a job for her son, leading to his first opportunity with Laxmikant-Pyarelal.

Then, the series highlighted Rakesh Roshan’s transformation from an actor to one of Bollywood’s top directors. Speaking about his failures as an actor and producer, he admitted, “I was told to call producers daily for work. I thought, how long will this go on? That’s when I decided to become a director.”

And the final act of the series – Hrithik Roshan’s rise to fame with Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai, followed by several other blockbuster films.