The Roshans: A captivating journey through 75 years of Bollywood legacy

Netflix'sThe Roshans pays a heartfelt tribute to one of Bollywood's most iconic families, celebrating their 75 years of legacy. The four-part docu-series, which is streaming now on Netflix, has everything to entice a Bollywood buff. The series unpacks the Roshans' journey through origin stories, personal struggles, career rebirths, and the enduring success that made them household names.

The series is a detailed chronicle of the Roshan family's incredible journey, starting with music director Roshan Lal Nagrath's migration from Gujranwala to Hrithik Roshan's superstardom. Each episode focuses on a different figure: music director Roshan Lal Nagrath, his sons Rakesh and Rajesh Roshan, and his grandson, Hrithik Roshan.

It features candid interviews with legends like Asha Bhosle, Pyarelal Sharma, Anandji Shah, and Shah Rukh Khan, offering unparalleled insights into the Roshans' impact on Bollywood.

Bollywood stars Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Ranbir Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan, Sonu Nigam, as well as the Roshans themselves, discuss the impact of the family, which has so far produced a family of two Award-winning music directors, one super-successful filmmaker and a megastar who continues to surprise his fans.

Few know that Hrithik's paternal grandmother, Ira Nagrath, was a staff singer at All India Radio or that his maternal grandfather, J. Om Prakash, first recognized his potential as an actor. The Roshans delve into these lesser-known yet fascinating family details.

It corrects many inaccuracies spread by Wikipedia entries and WhatsApp forwards but stays focused on the Roshan family. Rajesh Roshan's work outside his brother's Film Kraft productions is briefly mentioned but not deeply explored, neither does Hrithik's work outside the family circuit.

I loved the format because of its authenticity. The docu-series kicks off with Hrithik listening to his paternal grandfather's voice for the first time—he passed away seven years before Hrithik was born—and continues with archival soundbites of departed celebrities and/or clips from most of the films The Roshans were associated with.

While Hrithik Roshan's superstardom is well-known, the series sheds light on Rakesh Roshan's struggles that made it possible. This docu-series examines that struggle, which saw a resurgence through Bollywood's version of Kane and Abel—Khudgarz—and continues with the superhero franchise Krrish, which stars Hrithik Roshan and is directed by his father, Rakesh Roshan.

As an audience, I loved the anecdotes mentioned during these interviews since I, despite being a Rajesh Roshan fan, had no idea that he assisted music duo Laxmikant-Pyarelel for five years before venturing out on his own, nor did I know that Hrithik made his debut alongside Rajnikanth under his grandfather's direction, more than a decade before Kaho Naa ... Pyaar Hai.

The first-rate research offers authenticity that sets it apart from similar docu-series like The Romantics, which was filled with factual mistakes. Although the attack on Rakesh Roshan after the release of KNPH was teased at the end of the third episode, it was touched superficially as if the family still didn't want to talk about the dreadful affair.

If you have heard the songs "Jo Wada Kia Woh Nibhana Parega," "Rahain Na Rahain Hum," and "Mehlon Ka Raja Mila," you might want to know more about the man behind these classics, Mr. Roshan Lal Nagrath. Since the 1950s, the Roshans have been a constant presence in Bollywood, making this tribute timely and well-deserved.