EXCLUSIVE: Rakesh Roshan talks about his birthday plans; insists that only WHOLESOME entertainers can work big time: “Gadar 2 and Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani were wholesome entertainers and had great songs too”

By Fenil Seta -

September 6, 2023 - 2:30 PM IST

The legendary filmmaker Rakesh Roshan turns 74 today, that is, September 6. On this joyous occasion, Bollywood Hungama exclusively spoke to him about his birthday and a lot more.

EXCLUSIVE: Rakesh Roshan talks about his birthday plans; insists that only WHOLESOME entertainers can work big time: “Gadar 2 and Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani were wholesome entertainers and had great songs too”

When asked about his birthday plans, he replied, “There won’t be any plans as such. There’ll be a family get-together. I always do that on my birthday.”

Rakesh Roshan spoke last year on his birthday as well exclusively to Bollywood Hungama. That was a time when Bollywood films were flopping left, right and centre. Then, the Koi Mil Gaya (2003) director had thundered in our interview, “Hamare Bollywood filmmakers ko pata nahin kya ho gaya hai. They have drifted away from the roots of Indianness. They try to make so-called ‘modern cinema’ but it works with only 1% of the population”.

In 365 days, thankfully, the scenario has improved. August 2023 will be remembered as one of the greatest months in the history of Bollywood as Gadar 2, OMG 2 and Dream Girl 2 worked big time.

Rakesh Roshan was all smiles with the present-day trend. He said, “The times have changed for the better. I hope it carries on because one thing is for sure - the audience has started coming to the theatres. And now, the product has to be good.”

Almost all the films that worked in 2023 were mass entertainers. On this Rakesh Roshan said, “Our filmmakers were not making wholesome entertainers. A film has to be a wholesome entertainer, which we used to make in our times. That’s why those films used to work for 75 weeks and even 100 weeks. In between, we started making niche films. Gadar 2 is a wholesome entertainer. Its songs were also very good. The same goes for Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani. It was also a complete entertainer and had great songs. Recently, Dream Girl 2 also worked.”

He continued, “OMG 2 is a niche film. Yet, it did well as the message was correct. So, good content always works. But to do big business, it has to be a wholesome entertainer. Everybody identifies with such films.”

It was also believed that 2022 also saw the release of mass films but it didn’t work as there was skepticism among audiences last year. Rakesh Roshan, however, didn’t agree with his notion saying, “Give me an example of an unsuccessful film of 2022 which was a wholesome entertainer. There were none.”

Last year, during our conversation, Rakesh Roshan had said, “I am just waiting for the right time when the audiences would start flocking to the cinemas once again in big numbers,” when asked when Krrish 4 would go on floors. Now that the cinema is back, is he geared up to make the much-awaited superhero film, starring Hrithik Roshan? He answered, “Yes. We are planning it.”

He also made it clear that his company, Filmkraft, won’t be making any other film. “I only work on one film at a time. That is more than enough,” he said.

Finally, with Gadar 2 becoming an all-time blockbuster, it is said that sequels of classics of the 90s and 2000s would make for huge grossers. Would he then like to make a sequel or a remake of Karan Arjun? The original 1995 film starred Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan. He explained, “No, never. Some films are cult. You can’t remake those films. It might not generate the same emotions that the first part managed to achieve.”

Also Read: REVEALED: CBFC removes derogatory mention of Rakesh Roshan from Hindi version of Rajinikanth’s Jailer