Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; November 17, 2024)

A true-blue Bollywood revenge-reincarnation drama of the 90’s, Karan Arjun’s deeply emotional tale and casting coup made it iconic. Till date, it continues to be the only blockbuster co-starring superstars Shah Rukh and Salman Khan as leads. Slated to re-release in theatres after 30 years, on November 22, filmmaker Rakesh Roshan spoke about his celebrated film, need for its comeback and spilled some precious trivia in a chat with Bombay Times. Excerpts…

Why re-release Karan Arjun after 30 years, a film that has seen huge success already?
Despite the film releasing 30 years ago, both Salman and Shah Rukh are still the biggest superstars. That was a big bonus for me to re-release Karan Arjun. People want to see them together on the big screen in full-fledged roles. Their fans will love it. Kajol is actively doing films, the film’s music and dialogues continue to be a hit. So, I thought, lets re-release this on a bigger scale worldwide in over 2000 screens. I also want to see if the emotions that worked back then, will they work today? Agar picture dobara chalti hai, matlab emotions abhi zinda hai. Nahi chalti hai, toh its symbolic of the change this generation expects. It’s a test for me as a filmmaker.

If you were to make a sequel or a reboot, who would you cast in lead roles?
I won’t remake Karan Arjun or make a sequel but If I were to think of an alternate jodi for the movie today, I would cast Hrithik as Karan and Ranbir Kapoor as Arjun.

It’s not easy to cast two superstars as parallel leads. There’s always that fear of insecurity, rivalry and one upmanship popping in. How did you deal with this pressure as a filmmaker?
Before the shoot commenced, I sat with them together, face to face narrated them the whole story and dialogues with emotions. I told them jo bhi kehna hai, ab boliye, set pe matt boliye. Main jo bhi bolta tha woh karte thay. And I made sure dono characters mein koi unnis bis ka pharak na ho. Dono bis hi thay. Maine kaafi naapa hua tha woh sab. I had been an actor, so I knew yeh musibat aa sakti hai. At scripting level itself I made sure they were equal roles. There was no one upmanship or upper hand.

What made you think of Salman and Shah Rukh for these roles?
Salman’s physique was exceptionally good. None of the actors in those times had that built. He started that fit body trend. Also, I find his eyes arresting. I wanted someone for Karan’s role, joh chup chaap rehta hai par uski aankhen bolti hai. He fit the bill. I had worked with Shah Rukh in King Uncle (1993) and liked him immensely in Fauji so I wanted him to be Arjun. King Uncle (1993) could have been SRK’s debut film but that’s a long story.

What happened there? Why didn’t King Uncle turn out to be his debut film?
I was the first person to sign Shah Rukh, give him the cheque. I asked him to join the film industry. When I signed SRK for King Uncle, Amitabh Bachchan was supposed to play the titular part in that film but for some reason he couldn’t do it, and Jackie Shroff eventually played that role. This caused the delay and in the meanwhile his other films released first which he had signed after King Uncle. If it wasn’t for the delay, King Uncle would have been his debut film. I knew his potential. I liked him the moment I saw him in Fauji (TV serial). I remember seeing him for the first time at a restaurant. He was with Viveck Vaswani. They were eating. I walked upto him and said I really liked him in Fauji. I asked him if he would be interested in movies. He said no (smiles). I left my telephone number with him and said if he changes his mind, he can give me a call. He called the next morning. Then and there I gave him the cheque. I don’t know why he said no the first time. He was a kid then and maybe he thought later that it was a good role and an opportunity to work with Amitabh Bachchan that changed his mind.

Reincarnation, dramatic transformation, powerful comebacks have been recurring themes in your movies. What drew you to it?
For a common man, these ideas work because he also wants to do something in life. My failure as an actor perhaps drew me closer to ‘zero se hero’ banna theme. People used to say they found me pleasant as an actor, but my acting career never took off. My film Kaamchor (1982) was a hit, Jaya Prada went on to become a huge star, but it did nothing for me. Despite the film’s success, I didn’t get many offers so I thought may be God wants me to do something else. Maybe I was destined to be a filmmaker and Hrithik became a huge star, so I got to live my acting dream through him.

A film standing the test of time is its real success. Looking back, did you feel Karan Arjun would achieve that?
When I was conceptualizing this film, 80-90 per cent of my team didn’t approve of it. It felt like I was swimming against the tide because I believed in it. ‘Sir yeh kya bana rahe ho’ they would ask but when they saw my sincerity and passion, they surrendered to my vision. Reincarnation was a hot theme back then but only in love stories. Ma-bete ka angle wasn’t explored as much. Ek ma Bhagwan se kehti hai ke uskay bete maare gaye aur usko unko lautana padega, her prayers being answered is the theme of Karan Arjun and what made it what it is today.

None of your films would be complete without the music of Rajesh Roshan, your brother. Take us through this relationship.
We belong to a musical family. Music is in our blood. If he made something that I didn’t like, I would openly criticize. Kyunki hum bhai thay, hum jhagda kar sakte thay. I had that freedom. If I worked with others, I couldn’t tell them yeh bakwaas hai. I had to sugarcoat my words, so I preferred working with him. That openness and our warring nature brought out the best in us and benefited the film’s music.

Will we see you donning the director’s hat anytime soon?
We are working on Krrish 4 and we will be announcing it once things are clearer. Also, I will continue naming my films starting with K (smiles).
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As the 1995 smash hit Karan Arjun lines up for re-release, director Rakesh Roshan on the ideal cast for a reboot and how Shah Rukh Khan didn’t buy into the reincarnation plot
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; November 18, 2024)

One’s blockbuster re-releasing in theatres can be a sweet reminder of the long way they’ve come in their career. But filmmaker Rakesh Roshan is still feeling the Friday jitters, ahead of the November 22 release of Karan Arjun (1995). “It’s a test for me and filmmakers to see whether those emotions work with today’s younger generation,” he explains.

Jitters or not, the director agrees that a re-release is the perfect way to celebrate the Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Rakhee-starrer’s 30th anniversary that is due in January 2025. Very few films since have been able to bring the two Khans together in the same frame. “Shah Rukh and Salman are still the biggest superstars. The film is talked about even today. There are memes of the dialogues, ‘Bhaag Arjun bhaag’, and ‘Mere Karan Arjun aayenge’,” says Roshan, proud of how the film has found a place in pop culture.

One could attribute it to the film’s story that was gripping yet demanded suspension of disbelief—two brothers, essayed by Salman and Shah Rukh, are killed mercilessly by their menacing uncle and take birth again to seek revenge. Will the theme of reincarnation hold today? 

Roshan thinks so. “Even if I made this story today, people might have believed it because it’s a fairytale. Make what you think is not possible. The audience knows it’s not possible, but they get immersed in the storytelling.” He further reveals that Shah Rukh didn’t buy into the reincarnation plot. “Though he wasn’t convinced with the plot, he wanted to do it. After the film became a hit, he said, ‘I was absolutely wrong.’ Then, he also made Om Shanti Om [2007],” Roshan laughs.

The director made Karan Arjun with two up-and-coming stars, something that many filmmakers today believe is next to impossible. “Singham Again has five heroes,” Roshan cuts in. In fact, he has a simple mantra that he thinks would convince stars to headline a two-hero film. “If you want to make a two-hero film, you make it balanced. In Karan Arjun, I made sure both the characters had equal meat. I’ve been an actor. So, I knew that if I was offered a film where my role was even slightly weak, I wouldn’t do it.” 

So, if he made Karan Arjun today, who would he cast? The director admits that revisiting the movie won’t organically come to him at this stage. “If someone wants to revive the film, I’m up for it. There are many actors who will be magical on screen together. For Karan Arjun, Hrithik [Roshan] and Ranbir Kapoor would be my choices,” he grins.