The Roshans succeeds in highlighting four ‘roshan’ (shining) personae

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Hrithik, Rajesh and Rakesh Roshan. Photo: Netflix

Now, this is a family that never saw a superstar until 25 years back, when Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai changed their world, and made Hrithik Roshan one. Niece Pashmina Roshan is still taking wee little steps in the film industry, but the past and present—Hrithik’s dad Rakesh Roshan and uncle, composer Rajesh Roshan, have had checkered careers. Their father, the late Roshan, whose untimely passing away ended an era of classy (and frequently classical) melodies also had eminent highs and shocking laws in his career.

But what characterizes the Roshans (the name that means ‘luminous’) are their deep emotional natures, their shining softness, their patent grounded natures and their solid self-beliefs. The personae of all the four come out wonderfully in the Netflix docu-series, The Roshans. And this series scores high where previous similar vehicles on the Yash Chopras and Salim-Javed came unstuck.

To be sure, every such series, through its family members’ mutual raves and extolling by associates and colleagues, will have a certain level of compliments, but the power of praise palls before the very-evident honesty and self-introspection that we see. There is no effort to garner sympathy for the often demoralizing lows of the Roshans (yes, even Hrithik’s ‘flop phase’ and his mammoth health troubles), but just an incisive glimpse. In the final analysis, what we see pervading through is their quite determination, and commitment and passion for their work that comes through, resulting ultimately in triumph.

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Director (and good family friend Shashi Ranjan) curates some really great archival material (like interviews with Roshan’s mentor, Kidar Sharma, radio titan Ameen Sayani and Lata Mangeshkar when they were alive) apart from living associates, and those are treats by themselves.

The legendary Roshan Lal Nagrath, known as Roshan. Photo: Publicity Photo

Chapter I

Rahen Na Rahen Hum deals with one of Hindi cinema’s highly underrated and fantabulous composing talents: Roshan-saab, as we know him. (Kalyanji)-Anandji, (Laxmikant-) Pyarelal, Asha Bhosle, Suman Kalyanpur and Usha Mangeshkar as well as current names like lyricist-writer-filmmaker Amit Khanna, Anu Malik, Alka Yagnik and Javed Akhtar and more speak about Roshan’s uncompromising genius. Roshan’s wife, singer-composer Ira Roshan (whom I have personally met and interviewed in the late 1990s or early 2000s when she had come out with a Kumar Sanu-Alka Yagnik album!)’s role is also duly highlighted.

Sheer nostalgic power (with song clips from Bawre Nain, Malhar, Barsaat Ki Raat, Taj Mahal, Bahu Begum, Chitralekha, Bheegi Raat and more) makes this part arguably more potent as an in-depth glimpse of this unique personality whose songs, as Javed Akhtar mentions, were always decent and dignified even in the light genres.

But here is where I feel that the Roshans and Ranjan have been a shade too restrained. In their obsession not to blow their own trumpets, they have omitted to mention the fact that at one time when Lata Mangeshkar had wanted to turn producer, she had chosen Roshan for its music (the film was later never made) over other favorites. Or when Roshan inimitably brought about a patch-up between Raj Kapoor and Shankar-Jaikishan instead of grabbing an RK film that Raj had offered him after a fracas with S-J! And this, needless to say, would have taken Roshan places.

And though we hear of the camaraderie between Roshan and S.D. Burman, we are not told what Ira-ji had revealed to me: that it was Roshan who completed the antaras (inner verses) of the C. Ramachandra-composed perennial, Yeh zindagi ussi ki hai (Anarkali), one rainy night in his own sitting room over a bottle of whiskey, at his colleague’s request!

Chapter II

Thoda Hai Thode Ki Zaroorat Hai is perhaps the most underwhelming chapter of all: like in his career and much like his father, Rajesh Roshan never believed in shouting from the rooftops about his unique musical achievements. Though Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan are very much around, neither is made to reveal that their first recorded adult song (Hamari Bahu Alka) and singing debut (Unnees Bees) respectively were with the young composer.

His contribution to Amitabh Bachchan’s vocals in Mr. Natwarlal is discussed, not so his only other recorded song with the star: Jeena hai kis liye in the 2004 Aetbaar, easily the finest-rendered song by the actor to date: Roshan Jr. tailored the tune and music to fit like a glove on Bachchan. And maybe the senior Bachchan, who was the narrator in Krrish 3, could have come in to laud the magical melodies also of Khud-Daar, Yaarana and Do Aur Do Paanch.

The contribution of Rajesh Roshan to music, like how he created an earthquake in the hegemony of Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Kalyanji-Anandji and R.D. Burman in the 1970s, usurping major banners and filmmakers, is not spotlighted. Neither is due attention thrown on his unusual orchestration, or at least his soft style for Kishore Kumar that began right from Julie and was to later be the template for the Kumar Sanu (who is also here!) leitmotifs of both Anu Malik and Nadeem-Shravan!

Chapter III & IV

That Rakesh Roshan remains the most emotional of them all comes through graphically in this saga. His story of rejection and triumph and his passion for perfection and experimentation come through lucidly as we move though Nikle Thay Kahan Jaane Ke Liye (whose second line is, aptly, Pahunchey hai kahaan maloom nahin!), named after Roshan’s sterling melody from Bahu Begum, onto the self-explanatory final episode, Koi…Mil Gaya.

There is considerable overlap here between Rakesh and his son Hrithik and for me the most touching parts about Hrithik come from Abhishek Bachchan, and I say that because while they began in the same year as heroes, it was the former who traversed miles ahead in standing.

In the final analysis, The Roshans, is a compellingly moving look at a family that refused to bow down to failure and continues to glow even now when Roshan Sr. is no more and Rajesh Roshan has last done an outside-the-home- banner film 20 years ago (yes, the same Aetbaar). The docu-series with its inputs on life, love and work by the three Roshans, and Hrithik’s final comment on his sons Hrehaan and Hridhaan is motivational and inspiring to say the least.

Rating: ****

Netflix presents The Roshans  Produced by: Shashi Ranjan & Rakesh Roshan Directed by: Shashi Ranjan  Featuring: Roshan, Rakesh Roshan, Rajesh Roshan, Hrithik Roshan & others