Rakesh Roshan on Kaabil, Krrish 4, a triple role film with Hrithik Roshan

By Faridoon Shahryar -

December 22, 2016 - 2:56 PM IST

Rakesh Roshan ji has this unique ability to give what will work at the box office and then he ensures the aesthetic potential is always retained. In an exclusive interview with Faridoon Shahryar, Rakesh ji talks about what makes him so confident of Kaabil. He also talks about Krrish 4 in detail and yes he also has a story idea for Hrithik where he gets to play a triple role.

Rakesh Roshan on Kaabil, Krrish 4, a triple role film with Hrithik Roshan

Rakesh ji you keep on reinventing, with film after another, how you manage to do that?
It’s very simple, lesser the traffic you have in your mind the more you can concentrate. I make one film 2-3 years’ time and I take my own time to make a film because I want to hit the bull’s eye whenever I make a film so I put in all my efforts to make that film. I’m not in commercial transactions to make 4-5 films a year. I don’t do that, if I want I can do it but I don’t do that. Because I don’t chase money, I want money to chase me.

We’ll come to Kaabil that is the talking point right now and everyone is thrilled with the second trailer, it’s very different from the first one. It is far more subtle and the song, Rajesh Roshan ji's beautiful melody that really enters your heart almost instantly. What was the idea behind getting a second trailer and making it so drastically different in a way?
I’ll tell you when I recorded the song, whoever came to my office; I used to make them hear the song. They used to say that yeh kya gaana banya hai purane zamaane ka? Kya bol lagaye hai? Chaand, pyaala and all that? I used to keep hearing them that maybe they are right but my instinct says it’s going to be a huge hit. I and Rajesh were very confident and so was Hrithik. Sanjay was 50-50, he said it looks old but let’s see if it works or no. I used to give him confidence that don’t worry it’s going to work humongous and it worked. When we launched the trailer, the first song, it worked amazingly. Now to come with second trailer is very difficult, to cut a second trailer when first trailer is liked by everyone and has created a good impression. The second trailer could have gone wrong way also. When we started I gave them the idea that we should cut this on the song because it will be novelty otherwise same dialogues and same things.

You have this unique ability to understand what will appeal to masses in a very nice manner and at the same time have aesthetic ability as well, how difficult is it to strike the balance?
It’s not difficult at all; it’s about how you feel? From 16 years old I used to watch movies in theatres till today I go to theatre to watch movies. In PVR my 5 seats are booked so if we’re 2 or 3 friends I still don’t sell those 2 seats. It’s always booked for me. 99.99% I see all the movies on the first day, 3’o clock show. I know the audience pulse, what they like, when they laugh, how much they enjoy, how people get up and go. There are certain films where maybe people don’t applaud while seeing the film but when I am going down with them they say what a film it was. It’s a different reaction when you see the film in theatre. So that has imbibed in me from many years. So when Sanjay Gupta narrated me the story that there’s blind boy and blind girl, they fall in love and how a blind man takes the revenge. Immediately I said yes I’ll do this film. Because I knew from the core it has inherent emotions in it.

The dialogues of the film I feel people are relating to them in a big away and the latest one “Aayega Na? Darega Toh Nahi?” is being talked about. Something about the dialogues?
Whenever I make a script in all my films, I keep the dialogue writers right from the beginning. Suppose if am starting Krissh 4 now, I would start beginning that, I would like to be my dialogue writer with me all the time. What happens, when we are discussing we come up with some lines which we forget later on. So all the dialogues of Kaabil are very beautifully written dialogues and are simple. The way Hrithik has enacted, he’s simply saying those dialogues like any common man, and he’s not saying it like a hero.

That dialogue where he is giving tribute to Mr. Bachchan has come out very nicely.
Yes and we were all surprised. Whenever I used to say Hrithik to shoot that scene, he used to cancel it. I don’t know why he used to cancel it. Six times he cancelled the shoot. We used to book the studio and Hrithik used to say I’m not coming today, I am not well. He kept pushing that particular scene. So eventually when the date came, when we completed the film, we have to shoot that scene so he came. I was not on the sets but I got a phone call form Sanjay that once he started speaking he spoke exactly like Amit Ji and Sanjay was surprised that Amit Ji has come inside or what. Because he was in a different room and they were sitting in a different room. Sanjay called me then and there and said its unbelievable Hrithik has done this. Then I asked Hrithik how did he managed that, he said that’s why I was postponing because I was playing with my vocal chords to change my voice form last three months and he achieved it.

How do you look at this entire Netflix rumor? Apparently the source was never found.
I don’t know, I have no idea about that because I also read in papers. I don’t think so Netflix will go so low to say derogatory. They are a big company and we are nothing in front of them.

Krrish 4, Hrithik has hinted by tweeting that Yami Gautam might star in it?
No we haven’t decided anything till the script is not ready. I will not decide on any star-cast except Hrithik.

What different can people expect from Krrish 4?
That it’s going to be a completely different, heart-warming and emotional story. When I told my wife that this idea I have and she was like how do you think of all these things? It has been so long, people are waiting for Krrish. During Ganpati I saw they have Ganpati as Krrish. That means there is such a following, they have faith in Krrish.

You’ve also pushed the envelope in terms of VFX, what different can we see in Krrish 4?
You see, what happens in India, they shoot on green screen and give to VFX people and say jaldi kar do hamari picture release hai next Friday ya 10-15 din baad. I gave them 18 months. My shooting got over in September then I released in next year Diwali. Prior to them I gave them some shots, so I gave 18 months to Red Chilies team of special effects. Even in Kaabil we shot some scenes on green screen, I gave them 3 months back.

What as a director you feel makes Hrithik different from other actors that makes him shine?
Hrithik is a very intense actor, very sincere and honest actor. Honesty shows on his face. That is the biggest plus point of an actor.

Is Hrithik doing any film before Krrish 4?
He has to because Krrish 4 will take one and half years to start. It is not that easy to make that film. I have a subject which I was planning to make before Kaabil with triple role of Hrithik and it was a fantastic story idea. But I couldn’t crack the climax and before that Kaabil came and I started Kaabil. But I am simultaneously working on that script also; you’ll see him in a negative character. Which I have not planned yet, I have to choose between this and Krrish 4. I’ll most probably go with Krrish and that film I can ask somebody because I couldn’t crack the last 20 minutes of the film where the climax takes part. I took help from Hollywood writers also but even they couldn’t crack it. Maybe sometime God will give me some idea and I’ll crack it.

Maybe while taking shower?
Laughs!

When will we get the songs of Kaabil, full album?
Within this week you’ll get it.