Recently, Hrithik Roshan's father, Rakesh Roshan recalled the underworld's interest in casting Hrithik Roshan in a film funded by them. His refusal of the offer resulted in him being shot twice.
The Roshan family was in for quite a rollercoaster ride in the first month of the year 2000. January of that year started on a good note, with Rakesh Roshan's son, Hrithik Roshan, making his Bollywood debut in his father's directorial, Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, on the 14th of the month. The then-newcomer was quickly heralded as the Hindi film industry's next big thing. However, this popularity came with a downside — increased interest from the underworld, which was heavily involved in Bollywood then. This even resulted in Hrithik's father, Rakesh being shot. Recently, the senior Roshan opened up about the trying time.
Hrithik Roshan, Bollywood's Greek God, was hailed as a star ever since his debut in the 2000 release, Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai. However, it wasn't just adoring fans who were eager to see him on-screen. The underworld, which was heavily involved in Bollywood back then, was also eager to see the up-and-coming star in projects funded by them. They reached out to Hrithik's father and debut film director, Rakesh Roshan, to express their interest.
In a recent chat with Bollywood Hungama, Rakesh opened up about refusing their offer, which resulted in him paying the consequences. Talking about how he kept putting the mafia off, Rakesh said:
"I never gave any indication that Hrithik could do a film for them. I kept putting them off, saying Hrithik had no dates, which, in any case, was the truth. They then asked me to take dates away from other producers and give it to them. This again, I refused to do."
Rakesh further told Bollywood Hungama that he was determined not to give in to the underworld's demands. Rakesh never gave in despite an air of 'tension and fear' being prevalent back then because of such criminals. He recounted:
"Once I had committed my son's dates elsewhere, I refused to give in to arm-twisting tactics. I never gave in. With the kind of tension and fear that some of us had to bear, we couldn't do anything creative, let alone make a film."
Rakesh's determination would have dire consequences. A week after he refused the underworld's demands, the director was shot in broad daylight while leaving his Mumbai office. Despite getting shot twice, Rakesh was miraculously able to drive himself to hospital and make a full recovery.
Rakesh's shooting was linked with the underworld, and for good reason. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the underworld was known for making threatening calls to actors and filmmakers. The tragic assassination of producer, Gulshan Kumar in 1997 was evidence that the criminals weren't just making empty threats.
Following the shocking attack on his father, Rakesh Roshan, Hrithik Roshan sat down for an emotional interview with Simi Garewal. The actor revealed that he was overwhelmed with emotions of feeling responsible for the shooting that he wanted to quit films altogether. Hrithik said:
"From shock to anger to seeing dad there on the hospital bed, I had never seen him like this. I wanted to quit, I really wanted to just quit films because I knew I was directly or indirectly responsible for what had happened to him and nothing was worth it. All this is not worth his life."
What do you think about Rakesh Roshan's revelations about the underworld's interest in Hrithik Roshan?
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