Roshan unplugged

Sunaina Roshan on her father

An all-rounder approach to life was what pushed Rakesh's daughter Sunaina to write a doting biography.

Can a director of a sci-fi film be concerned about the fused bulb at home? This is Rakesh Roshan for you and it is this all rounder approach to life that pushed his daughter Sunaina to write a doting biography. “While assisting him in Krissh 3 , one day in the midst of a complex shot he asked me to call home and ask mother if the light in the bedroom has been fixed. I was amazed. As a child you often don’t see your father in any other light than a parent but that day I observed him as personality and thought of writing about his amazing life.” Amazing it is, for Rakesh, son of legendary music composer Roshan, faced obstacles at every turn in his life. A fan of Shammi Kapoor, he wanted to replace him as an actor and not many around him doubted.

The sudden demise of his father put the responsibility of his family on him at the age of 19 but he was keen to face the arc lights. Rakesh could never become a star and remained the third angle in the love triangles that Bollywood was churning out in the ‘70s and ‘80s. “But he never made us feel the pinch. He would ensure that we enjoy foreign tours when he was slogging it out in shifts in Mumbai,” reminisces Sunaina. When the opportunities were drying up, Rakesh was facing another threat. Like his father, he started losing his hair at a young age and every morning he had to employ a cocktail of sprays to face the camera. He turned to production but once again faced failure with Aap Ke Deewane .

“Things turned with

Kaamchor but he really arrived with

Khudgarz , where he decided to direct,” says Sunaina. With

Khudgarz , he not only shaved off his hair but a painful past as well. “He put all his money into the film. I remember my mother telling me during the premiere that if it failed we will lose our car and house.” Years later it happened again when he gambled on his son Hrithik with

Kaho Na Pyaar Hai . “He is a gambler who gambles on his creativity,” says Sunaina. We find it strange how the director of formula films like

Kishan Kanhaiya and

Karan Arjun turned to science fiction. Sunaina reveals in the book how he used to bring home the VHS of

ET and

Superman when spending on VHS was considered splurging. “He carried this ambition for long and when he got a chance he went all out to achieve it. Not many people are able to make their dream come true.” Sunaina underlines that

Krissh is not a comic book superhero. “Nor does it come from mythology. It is original.”

Not many know that Rakesh went to Sainik School and Sunaina says it is his training that stood him good stead when the Underworld fired bullets at him after the release of

Kaho Na Pyaar Hai . “He dodged all but one of them and drove straight to the police station and was then taken to hospital and the first call he made was to our grandfather. His presence of mind under pressure is something.” The Army training has also instilled punctuality in him. “If the shoot is scheduled for 8 a.m., he will be in my room at 7.50 a.m.” Shah Rukh Khan has given a hilarious account of his punctuality in the book. Curiously, Sunaina hasn’t spoken to her father in the book and has collected the information from relatives, friends and colleagues.

“It was meant to be a surprise on his birthday,” says Sunaina, who has recovered from a series of ailments.

Many feel he hasn’t got his due from the industry. “He believes in the One above and He has been kind,” Sunaina signs off.