Is Hrithik Roshan’s Krrish 4 happening? Well, rumours suggested that creative and financial disagreements between the superstar and producer Aditya Chopra had resulted in the superhero film being stalled. But now, mid-day has got all the details from the horse’s mouth. When we reached out to filmmaker Rakesh Roshan, he asserted that the highly anticipated movie will roll this year. 

“It’s all nonsense that Hrithik has asked for a Rs 500 crore budget for top-tier VFX and world-class action for his directorial debut, while YRF [Yash Raj Films] wants to cap costs at Rs 350 crore. Making a good film catering to a [wide] audience takes time. Even I have taken time for each of my Krrish offerings,” said the senior filmmaker. 

The fourth instalment of the much loved franchise was first announced in 2018. At the time, Karan Malhotra of Agneepath (2012) fame was at the helm, with Siddharth Anand as the co-producer. In the subsequent years, Malhotra and Anand exited the project, and in 2025, Roshan Senior announced that Hrithik would turn director with it.

It’s been over a year since then, and the superhero film still hasn’t gone on floors. Reason? The filmmaker indicated that the delay is because Hrithik is tied up with the production house that he launched this year.

“Krrish [Hrithik] is on another planet and we are all waiting for his dates,” he joked, before adding, “There are no issues; all is smooth. It’s teamwork between Adi, Hrithik, and me.”

The script is almost finalised and the makers are planning to take it on floors by the year-end. Refraining from putting a timeline to it, Roshan teased, “I will update you when everything is ready.”

Filmmaker- choreographer Ahmed Khan is all set to launch his son Azaan as a hero after the release of his upcoming directorial Welcome To The Jungle, featuring Akshay Kumar and a star-studded ensemble cast.

Interestingly, Ahmed and Azaan share the same birthday, which they celebrate today. “Even if I don’t remember my own birthday, I have to remember it because of Azaan. He is the best gift my wife could have given me,” Ahmed says with a smile.

Speaking about the launch, he says, “Yes, the film goes on the floors after the release of Welcome To The Jungle. He’s a choreographer’s son, so of course, there will be expectations about how he performs. I give him a good rank 7/10 when it comes to dance, but he’s even better when it comes to action.” He adds, “Haseen ladka hai, he just has to cut through.”

Ahmed says the nervousness is less on him and more on Azaan. “I don’t behave like his father, but his director now. I don’t go around saying ‘Mera beta superstar.’ Either the audience will like him, or he has to keep trying. Filmmakers like Raj Kapoor and Rakesh Roshan found the perfect balance between being a father and filmmaker, which is important to find.”

Speaking about trolls and preparing his son to be thick-skinned, he adds, “Once you have selected this profession, there will be people jealous of your position; you have to deal with it. Everyone has a job, and so do trolls; trolling is their job. I’m not on social media, I’m a zen person.”

Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta has reacted to the growing buzz around Kaabil 2, after social media went into a frenzy over his recent post hinting at a sequel to the 2017 Hrithik Roshan-Yami Gautam Dhar-starrer. The excitement began when Gupta responded to a fan query on X, saying that Kaabil 2 was “ready” and “deadlier,” a comment that was later deleted, but not before screenshots went viral.

Reacting to the overwhelming response, Gupta tells us, “My tweet was a reply in jest to a personal friend. The fact is that yes, Kaabil 2 has been written and this time it is indeed far more deadlier. But right now, the Roshan family’s complete focus is on Krrish 4, which I feel will be bigger than the first three put together. Anything on Kaabil 2, if and when, will only be announced by Rakesh ji.”

Kaabil starred Hrithik as Rohan Bhatnagar, a visually impaired man. The story follows Rohan and his wife Supriya, who are both blind, and shows how their peaceful life is shattered after a brutal crime. The film traces Rohan’s determined quest for justice, highlighting his intelligence, resilience, and emotional strength despite his disability.

At the box office, Kaabil faced a major clash with Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees upon release, which affected its overall collections. Despite the tough competition, the film performed reasonably well, recovered its budget, and was considered a moderate commercial success. Hrithik Roshan’s performance received strong praise and played a key role in drawing audiences to the film.

Filmmaker-actor Rakesh Roshan, father of actor Hrithik Roshan, recently underwent angioplasty in the neck and is currently recuperating at a hospital in Mumbai. His daughter, Sunaina Roshan, has assured fans that he is “completely fine now”.

Reports had earlier surfaced that the veteran director was admitted to Kokilaben Hospital on July 16 following a sudden dip in his health. Confirming the news to Amar Ujala Digital, Sunaina said, “Yes, papa had an angioplasty in his neck, but he’s perfectly fine now. There’s nothing to worry about. He’s resting.”

According to India Forums, the Roshan family is closely monitoring his recovery. Hrithik Roshan has been a regular visitor at the hospital, accompanied by his partner Saba Azad and sister Sunaina. Sources add that Rakesh Roshan has now been shifted from the ICU to a general ward and that his condition is stable.

When approached for comment, Hrithik’s former wife, Sussanne Khan, declined to speak on the matter, stating that she “wouldn’t speak on anything related to the family’s personal matters.”

The shoot of Hrithik Roshan’s much awaited directorial debut Krrish 4 is slated to begin early next year. The actor will take over the reins as the director from his father Rakesh Roshan, the original creator of the popular franchise.

While Hrithik will resurrect his role as the superhero while also directing the film, there has been much speculation over the female lead. Some reports suggested that the film will reunite Rekha, Preity Zinta and Priyanka Chopra, who appeared in the prequels.

A source close to the film told Bombay Times exclusively, “Priyanka Chopra will return to Krrish 4, but there will be another actress as well, whose name cannot be divulged as of now. There is a possibility of Rekha being seen in a cameo, but Preity Zinta’s presence is sheer speculation and not true.” Priyanka starred in Krrish (2006) and this marks her return to the franchise after 19 long years!

The story of Krrish 4 will jump decades since it comes 15 years after Krrish 3, which released in 2013. In his last interaction with us, Rakesh Roshan had told us, “Now is the right time for Hrithik to move ahead and take Krrish forward. Krrish is ingrained in Hrithik, and his vision is of today’s generation. I could not entrust the franchise to a more able creative mind, other than him.”

She might not look it, but her petite frame and delicate countenance house a survivor. Sunaina Roshan, soft-spoken and exuding classy-woman energy at 54, has endured illnesses that would fell most people, and has emerged triumphant.

Sunaina, looking cool in a blush peach top and white trousers, welcomes us, remarking that she had not realised her father was at home. Rakesh Roshan is indeed there and he is busy, playing cards at the family dining table in the next room. There seem to be plenty of players, with family and friends surrounding the man—proof of the well-known fact that Sunaina has always had the love and support of the Roshan family.

The famous photograph of Hrithik with his father peeking from behind, and paintings of Sunaina and her daughter, adorn the white marble walls. Sunaina insists on all of us having a snack, “It’s paneer and ragi snacks—so it’s all healthy,” she says. “I loved paneer but I had to give it up. I could eat it every day for all the three meals for all my life but things had to change after my jaundice,” she adds.

The jaundice was the most recent health scare she received, back in May of 2023. “The health scares I have faced have all been a matter of life and death; nothing normal has happened to me,” she says jokingly. From meningitis back in 2003 to her diagnosis with one of the rarest cancers—cervical lymphoma—in 2007, Sunaina has battled it all and emerged with head held high.

“During the chemotherapy I was pretty strong mentally. I knew what I had to do, but I think it really dawned on me when I had my last chemotherapy session. The doctor said that it would take another 10 minutes. Sussanne (Khan) was next to me and said something to the effect of it being my last chemotherapy and that I will be free—that broke me and I started howling,” recalls Sunaina.

Through Instagram, Sunaina has been advocating for women to do better about their health. She feels that any delay, if you think something is not quite right with your body, is unacceptable. “I was bleeding heavily during my periods in the last two months before I got diagnosed with cancer. It was my mother (Pinky Roshan) who insisted that I should go to the doctor and get checked, she and in fact all my family were my support systems all throughout my health journey,” she adds.

The 2023 jaundice bout, Sunaina confesses, was when she decided that “Ab bas ho gaya” and that she wanted to talk about her health in the hopes of inspiring others to never give up. She took to Instagram a little over a year ago and has become the champion for better eating habits, working out, and gut health in particular.

“With my other health challenges I always had medication, therapy etc, but for the jaundice I couldn’t take anything lest it overwhelm my already weak system. So I had to rely on my body completely to recover and that really changed the way I eat; I went for a complete gut reset,” says Sunaina.

Her reels on Instagram (@roshansunaina) on the subject have garnered 50,000 followers, fans of Sunaina’s quiet yet steely resolve. “I have been getting so much love online and I never expected it. I am not great at public speaking so these small, lovely little videos that I do at my home allow me to tell my story within my comfort zone,” she says.

So what next for Sunaina Roshan? “I am working towards ridding myself of the fear of public speaking. So I am hoping that by the end of this year I will be able to do a Ted Talk, and even if one person really listens and changes their life—well that’s enough,” she adds.

We will tune in, Sunaina; power to you.

A photograph of Sunaina with brother Hrithik back in 2013. PIC/GETTY IMAGES

After five years of legal battles, actor-MP Kangana Ranaut and lyricist Javed Akhtar have reached a settlement in their defamation cases.

On Friday, Kangana shared the update on Instagram, writing: “Today Javed ji and I have resolved our legal matter (defamation case) through mediation, in the mediation Javed ji has been very kind and gracious, he also agreed to write songs for my next directorial (sic).”

She accompanied the post with a picture of them together.

The dispute traces back to 2020, when Kangana, in an explosive interview following Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, accused Bollywood’s elite of sidelining outsiders. During this conversation, she claimed that Javed Akhtar had once pressured her to apologize to Hrithik Roshan over their 2016 public feud.

“Once Javed Akhtar called me to his house and told me Rakesh Roshan (father of Hrithik Roshan) and his family are very big people. If you don’t apologize to them, you will have nowhere to go. They will put you in jail, and eventually, the only path would be that of destruction… you will commit suicide. These were his words. He shouted and yelled at me,” she told the news channel.

Post that, Javed Akhtar filed a defamation case against her. He told the court, “Whatever Kangana said in the interview is a lie and nothing but a lie. I had told her about the agenda of the meeting on call. Didn’t call her to discuss the weather, political situation or America election in 2016.”

It’s a landmark year for the Roshans — Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai (KNPH), the film that set the stage for Hrithik Roshan in Hindi cinema and went on to become a smashing hit, re-releases in theatres today, 25 years later, on the actor’s birthday. As the family celebrates Hrithik’s milestone in the industry, they are also proud to present a documentary titled The Roshans, which is coming up soon. Yes, the Roshans are on a roll, and in an interview with us, Rakesh Roshan says, “Even if Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai now achieves 1% of what it did back then, it’s a big achievement.”

When I joined films at 21, I always thought that I had made a mistake by starting out at that age. So, when it came to Hrithik, at the back of my mind, I believed it would be right for him to make his debut at 24-25. I launched him because he was a good actor, not because he is my son. I had seen him in Bhagwan Dada and also in other parts as a child artiste and I realised he had matured as an actor. I was a bit on the edge because some people told me, ‘Yeh dono characters (in KNPH) bhai nahi hai, toh log story kaise believe karenge’. I told them that I always make films where it’s hard to convince people, and my job as a filmmaker is to convince them.

I announced the release date (Jan 14) much earlier. Everyone advised me to change the date, but I thought if I did that, the fear would stay with me forever. It would also mean that I am not confident about my film. If some big filmmakers like Yash Chopra, Sooraj Barjatya and Subhash Ghai were coming with their movies, maybe I would consider not clashing with them. So yes, there were big actors’ releases, but I wasn’t competing with any big filmmaker. My film had two newcomers in the lead, Hrithik and Ameesha Patel, who were very confident, and I was sure about my product, so I went ahead with it, and it paid off.

I give credit for that to Lagaan. I watched it in South Africa at the premiere, and I was stunned by it. Then I thought, what should I make with Hrithik? I can’t do the same dance or romance. Everyone around me was strongly against the idea. They told me, ‘What are you doing? You made him such a big star, and now you want to ruin his career?’ While we were making Koi Mil Gaya, Hrithik’s other films that released during that time were not doing well, about eight of his films didn’t work and he was even given the tag, ‘One film wonder’. Hrithik and I both believed in the film, and I thought that we can’t keep making the same films, as we need to show the audience how an actor can transform himself and what he can do. I knew this movie would make people realise what kind of actor he is, and he went all out and proved himself.

In one word, it’s his honesty. He’s someone who never takes shortcuts. Even when I’m shooting with him, and I say that the shot is okay, he will say, ‘Let’s do one more take, baba. I will do it better this time.’ He gives his 110% to every shot, and that’s what makes him the actor he is.

Not just through Hrithik, I have lived my dream through all my actors. When I write a scene, I visualise how I would enact it if I was playing the role. So, I see myself in every actor I direct.

No, never, because as an actor, I went through a lot of trouble, and the fear has stayed with me. That phase gave me sleepless nights, of course, things changed when I became a producer and director. The good part is that I was always at it, I never left it – I did lead roles, character roles, villainous parts. I stayed back, but many actors didn’t. Hence, I am here today. I wasn’t educated, and this (movies) is all I ever knew since childhood.

One big learning in my life has been – If you don’t know how to appreciate others’ work, you can never climb the ladder. Never pull down somebody. Yahan kya hota hai…people try to pull you down and they think by doing that they will rise. But that’s not true, they will only fall. So, whenever I see a good film, I call the actor or director and tell them how much I liked what I saw.

I was extremely nervous before the release of KHPH. I wanted the film to do well for Hrithik. I called my friends to the editing room to show them the film, because you never know, if the film didn’t do well, he wouldn’t have other films. Luckily, before the film released, Hrithik was signed by Subhash Ghai, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Sooraj Barjatya and Karan Johar. Now that it is re-releasing, I am nervous again. This is an emotional moment for Hrithik and me. Even if the film achieves 1% of what it did back then, it’s a big achievement.

My friend Shashi Ranjan, who has a lot of knowledge of music and knows a lot about my father’s work, came up with the idea of making a documentary on him. I took it a step further and thought, why not make a documentary on three generations of Roshans (my father, legendary music director Roshan Lal Nagrath, my brother, music composer Rajesh Roshan and me, and then, my son Hrithik). We are alive, and I can talk more about myself than have others talk about me when I’m not there. The documentary is not about what people know about us from the outside, which is all colourful. It’s about our personal struggles and our journey, beyond how we make films, which is beautifully put out there. In our family, all these years, none of us have really pushed ourselves. My father didn’t, Rajesh and I didn’t, and neither did Hrithik. We, Roshans, have always let our work speak for us.

There’s a definite crisis in the Hindi film industry. Films aren’t working as they should. South Indian cinema has taken over the Hindi market.

OTT is the easier alternative to excel in. For one, every middleclass home has a big-screen TV. And you can eat your home-cooked snacks, fresh off the air fryer. We need audiences to come back in droves, into cinemas—to see Hindi films!

Why’s that not happening, in the way it should? Here’s the real deal, straight from logic.

I’ve witnessed enough actors/producers/directors escape from their one primary responsibility—you’ve got one job—to make films, that sell tickets!

Yes, independent cinema; yes, cinema as art; yes, cinema that has a voice; yes, noir; yes, abstract; yes, brave new cinema; yes, cinema for festivals; yes, niche cinema… Why not, yes, cinema, that sells tickets?

Because everybody in this generation knows cinema, that is taught at film school—cinema in theory, cinema as technology. Yet, technically, anybody can be a filmmaker, or actor, without that one basic qualification—knowledge of the audience!

They don’t buy tickets themselves; why should their audience? Why not straightforward entertainment, then? Why not understand what made Raj Kapoor and Vijay Anand tick, with their audiences?

Their retrospective tributes ran to full houses across the country in 2024, defying all logic. Why not great music, created by human beans, not machines and synthesisers? Because everybody is evading the real reason for the collapse—simply, enough tickets are not being sold!

OTT is free; watching films on gadgets is free. But it’s not only about the filmmakers. The other side of this coin is equally and completely scary!

Let’s now look at the prohibitive cost of multiplex tickets, that is equally to blame for the decline in ticket sales.

A country where merely over two per cent of the total population pays income tax means that almost 98 per cent percent of the population earns an average of, roughly speaking, between Rs 15,000 to Rs 40,000 per month. How can they pay Rs 250, Rs 360, Rs 500, upwards, per ticket? They can’t!

So, the multiplex chain caters to only about two per cent of the country; what about the rest? Are they not entitled to see big cinema on the big screen?

But ’plexes are shutting down the single screens, and most of the lower and middle class audiences are watching films, four to seven weeks post the cinema release, on OTT. Or, especially the kids, hacking sites and watching films they pirate.

The ’plex sells popcorn and beverages at humongous prices. And mine their real-estate—by showing hours of ads, through parking charges, and asking producers/distributors to pay to show promotional material of their films.

The production sector doesn’t know their audience; the exhibitors are not in the business of cinema, they’re in the food and real estate business.

Now, what?

The basic difference between South Indian cinema industries and the Hindi film industry is one word—the bulk of that industry is made up of ‘stakeholders’ of the business. The bulk of the Hindi film industry is made up of employees!

There are very few stakeholders left in Bollywood: Aditya Chopra, Rakesh Roshan, Suneel Darshan are three that I can name offhand. They own their films.

So, let’s go back to the drawing board: let’s create a simpler ticket-pricing package; let’s keep our ownership, and become stakeholders. Let’s have a stake in the success of each film we make, each ’plex we build, each deal we do! Let’s be makers, and then go back to the cinemas.

The audience will come!

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…

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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It has been a seven-decade love affair between the Roshans and cinema. Over three generations—beginning with composer Roshan, followed by his filmmaker-son Rakesh Roshan and musician-son Rajesh Roshan, to the superstar Hrithik Roshan—the family has contributed immensely to Bollywood. Last July, mid-day had reported that a documentary, titled The Roshans, was in the making (Shedding roshni on the Roshans, July 27).

A year on, we’ve heard that director Shashi Ranjan has wrapped up the shooting and is currently overseeing its editing. The docu-series will begin in 1948, when the late Roshan arrived in then-Bombay and quickly became one of the most successful composers of his time. Over four to five episodes, it will look at the family’s continuing legacy, Hrithik’s journey as a superstar and will end at the smashing success of Krrish 3 (2013).

A source, who has worked on the project, reveals that by speaking to their frequent collaborators and friends, director Ranjan has examined the family’s role in the industry today.

“Besides featuring the family, the series includes interviews of past superstars Jeetendra and Rekha, as well as current ones including Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra. Sham Kaushal, who has served as an action director on most of Rakesh’s movies, also features in it. The Roshans and the Kapoors are among the few families, spanning three generations in Bollywood. From Hrithik’s blockbuster debut with Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai [2000] to Rakesh triumphing over throat cancer, this series will put the spotlight on how they went through the highs and lows to reach where they are today.”

Rakesh—known for his hits Khoon Bhari Maang (1988), Karan Arjun (1995) and the Krrish franchise—is supervising every aspect of the project, and has brought his sharp sense of storytelling to it.

“As one of the producers of the series, he is sparing no effort in making it entertaining and slick. An interesting aspect is that he has designed it as a musical entertainer that includes songs from his past movies as well as his father’s and brother’s compositions. While Hrithik is busy shooting for War 2, he has watched all episodes and given his suggestions.”

The source adds that after the editing is wrapped up, the makers will shop it around to the top streamers.

No debutant is expected to be perfect. But when you are the first Roshan to foray into films since Hrithik Roshan’s overnight stardom with Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000), the barometer changes. Pashmina Roshan, daughter of composer Rajesh Roshan and cousin to Hrithik, understands the weight of expectations on her as she gears up for her maiden film, Ishq Vishk Rebound.

“I don’t think you can come close to Hrithik Roshan’s debut. I come from a family of great artistes. The audience cherishes everything my father, my uncle [Rakesh Roshan] and my cousin have done. I sometimes hear my father’s songs and wonder if I can ever match up to his art. I don’t see it as pressure as much as a dream to work towards,” says Pashmina.

That is how she intends to shape her career—as a blend of her personal dream and her family’s legacy. The beauty of carrying forward a legacy is that one can bring their own shades to it. “Hrithik stands for his own values while carrying forward the family legacy. I hope I’m able to do the same. I want to create work that I am proud of. I am nervous. It’s nervousness filled with happiness though.”

Ishq Vishk Rebound launches two newcomers, Jibraan Khan and her, alongside Rohit Saraf and Naila Grrewal. We would have brought up the nepotism question, but in an earlier chat with mid-day, producer Ramesh Taurani revealed that he learnt that Pashmina was a star kid only when the company started drawing up her contracts (‘Hrithik or Rajesh never asked me to consider her’, May 31). Did she dissuade her family from stepping in so that she could bag projects on merit?

“They are all so busy doing their own work. My family is of course invested, but you don’t sit and tell them of every audition you do, or every person you meet. This is one of the many auditions that I gave. Also, you don’t enter a room or meeting and say, ‘Hi, I’m Pashmina Roshan, I am Rajesh Roshan’s daughter.’ I’m not known in the movie circle. I know there is a lot of privilege, but it is like a ladder, ultimately, a person has to climb by themselves.”

Over the past few years, there has been much speculation about when Krrish 4 will roll. It has been over a decade since the release of Krrish 3 (2013), the last instalment in the superhero franchise. In 2023, filmmaker Rakesh Roshan had told mid-day that the next edition wouldn’t go on floors before the end of 2024 (This concept hasn’t been attempted internationally, Apr 14, 2023). Now, one hears that Hrithik Roshan and his filmmaker-father plan to get cracking on the concept this summer.

Sources close to the project reveal that while the actor is shooting for War 2, he will be involved in conceptualizing the next instalment with Rakesh and their in-house team of writers.

“The project is currently in development. Hrithik has scheduled brainstorming sessions throughout the summer. Both Rakesh and he want to deliver a story that will exceed expectations,” says a source.

The plan is to lock the primary idea this year, setting the stage for the shoot in 2025. Earlier, there were murmurs of Krrish 4 being centred on intergalactic travel.

The source adds, “The team has explored and subsequently shot down a lot of ideas. The makers are certain that if the story doesn’t work, they won’t go ahead with it. That’s why they have dedicated so many months to finding the right story to take the superhero’s journey ahead.”

If you are a ‘90s kid, you would have grown up on television shows interspersed with ad commercials this man made. In his soon-to-release title, Madman Adman: Unapologetically Prahlad (Harper Collins), ad veteran, entrepreneur and restaurateur Prahlad Kakar recounts his life and career. We caught up with him at his Bandra Reclamation residence for a candid one-on-one. Edited excerpts from the interview. 

Writing was not the problem. The word count was. I was supposed to do it in 80,000 words. I thought, that’s a lot. But, I ended up writing 180,000 words. And there was still lots more to come. They [publishers] kept asking if this was the last chapter; I kept saying, sort of. Ultimately, I had to stop. There may be another book coming.

Well, it’s a memoir, not limited to just my professional life. I realized that a lot of what I did, the experiences I had, helped shape my personality. Like Sartre, I kept asking myself, who am I? What am I? Where am I going? And by the age of 35, I got the answer: I am the sum total of my experiences.

Even a creative solution doesn’t come out of nowhere; it stems from some memory or incident from your past, because your subconscious mind is a bank of all your life experiences. Your conscious mind is the logical bit but that’s only 10 per cent of the bank. What we call gut instinct is the 90 per cent. Logically, two plus two is four, but to add value, you have to come up with 22. If you take clay that you can buy for one rupee a kilo and turn it into a pot that sells for Rs. 500, your value addition is 499x! If you don’t aim for the 22, where’s the value?

I’d make two films, one the way the client wanted and the second in the manner I thought fit. I’d show them option one, and wait for them to say that it didn’t have the desired impact. Then, I’d show them the second one. And they’d love it. If they could understand films, they would be filmmakers instead of suits in an air-conditioned office making decisions about how to depict a rural community in a village they had never been to.

We were doing a commercial for Gold Spot once. They had changed their tastemaker because some medical journal had published a report saying that the earlier one was borderline harmful. Naturally, the taste changed. The ad campaign had people asking each other if they had tasted the new Gold Spot. By the fourth ad film, it was repetitive and not funny anymore. So, for the fifth one, we showed a group of college students celebrating the new Gold Spot. A goofy looking boy asks for a Limca and a girl says, “Shut up! This is a Gold Spot film!” The company was unsure about selling two products in one ad, even though both products were their own! That was the time when people were accepting humour in advertising.

Before that, the product was God. You don’t laugh at God. Laughter was the last thing they wanted. Because they didn’t understand the difference between laughing at you and laughing with you. But it started a trend; everybody was trying to be funny. They tried too hard.

That was deliberate. Hrithik was actually in talks with two top rival cola brands, and ultimately chose one. And he did that at a time when the other was just about to announce they were in talks with him, which did not go down well. So, we showed Hrithik’s lookalike losing the girl to Shah Rukh Khan. We even made him look like a dork, with braces. It backfired on us. Hrithik was so popular that we received letters from consumers, criticizing us.

There was this agency representative who wouldn’t stop meddling during my shoot. I told my assistant to pack up and return whatever was remaining from the advance amount that they had paid. We cleaned up the entire set and I handed him a Rs 100 note! 

As far as stars are concerned, Shah Rukh is a delight. He doesn’t mind playing second fiddle to the product. In so many ads, he, the star, loses out. There’s one where he loses the girl to another actor and loses the cola bottle too. In another, he sneaks into a cricket team dressing room impersonating Sachin Tendulkar to steal a cola, only for the real Sachin to take the bottle and send him to bat in his place.

He, and Mr Bachchan! Nobody in the unit sleeps the night before Mr Bachchan’s shoot, because he’s always five minutes early. We’ve actually walked onto the set to see him sitting in a chair, in the middle of an empty set, reading a newspaper. It is terrifying.

Actor Hrithik Roshan has locked the script of the fourth part of his superhero franchise, Krrish. A source tells us that the script has been written by the actor’s father, filmmaker Rakesh Roshan, and modifications were made after Hrithik went through it.

“He (Hrithik) wanted to be super sure about the story as they are reviving the franchise after a long time and don’t want to get it wrong. He went through the script and introduced some changes. The script is now locked,” an insider says, adding, “He is ready to start shooting in February or March next year.”

The actor, we have learnt, has almost wrapped up the shoot of Siddharth Anand’s Fighter and is in prep mode for Krrish 4. He is expected to undergo a fitness transformation for the role.

Meanwhile, the makers are in search of an international destination to shoot. “They might revisit Singapore for some important sequences. But the focus is on shooting in a place where they get the best subsidy,” says the source.

The franchise kicked off with Koi... Mil Gaya in 2003 that also starred Preity G Zinta and Rekha. The makers might reach out to actor Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who was seen in the last two instalments of the franchise. “There is no chance for Zinta to return, but the makers want Priyanka to revisit her role and are planning to reach out to her soon to check about her interest. The team is hoping to seal the deal with her,” the insider shares.

When director Rakesh Roshan was casting for Khoon Bhari Maang, his choice was very clear. “I knew Rekha would play the lead heroine. I developed the story and went straight to her. She was really excited and that excitement pushed me further,” Roshan recalls, as the film clocks 35 years today.

On how the other actors came on board, the 73-year-old shares, “I had to cast a usual but charming-looking husband. So, I spoke to (actor) Kabir Bedi and sent him the script, and he agreed. For the antagonist, I was looking for a very fresh face. I had seen (actor) Sonu Walia in a dubbing studio and thought she could play the negative part. That’s how she became a part of the film.”

One of the standout moments during the filming was Rekha’s horse-riding scene. Speaking about its filming, Roshan recalls, “When the moment came, she told me she had never ridden a horse before! But she said, ‘Don’t worry, I will do it’. My heart was pumping throughout, thinking, ‘Kahin yeh girr na jaaye.’ But once she sat on the horse, she rode it like she was a born horse rider.”

Another notable and scary sequence from the film is when Aarti’s (Rekha) husband tries to kill her by pushing her into a lake teeming with crocodiles. “It was a very new concept at that time, so it was very exciting for me to shoot that plot. It was a step ahead of its time,” mentions the filmmaker, ruling out the idea of a remake of the movie as he says, “Classics can never be remade.”