Happy birthday Rakesh Roshan: When Hrithik Roshan recounted his dad’s journey from struggle to success, said they’d sleep on floor

Veteran actor and filmmaker Rakesh Roshan’s life and career was never a bed of roses. As an actor in the early days of his career, he found limited success and even his family had to face hardships. Later in his life, he even battled throat cancer. But he is a true fighter and emerged victorious in both these battles.

In 2006, Rakesh’s son Hrithik Roshan and his then wife Sussanne Khan appeared together for an interview with Simi Garewal on her popular show, Rendezvous with Simi Garewal. There, Hrithik opened up about his father’s phase of struggle and how they were not even able to pay their house rent. His mother, Pinky Roshan, took him and his sister to her father’s house while his actor father Rakesh Roshan lived with his mother. “Until the time my dad could earn enough money to buy another house. And then we shifted into another house which was barely just walls and floors. We slept on gaddas, these mats and slowly got the furniture in,” Hrithik said.

Rakesh also opened up about the tough days in a 2017 interview with PTI. “As an actor, I was not that successful but I kept trying. I never moved ahead in my career despite some of my movies doing well. So I started producing films and then moved to direction. Now, when I look back I feel happy. Back then, I had no idea how I will get the money to run my house. I had two children, a wife and a family to look after. But somehow we always managed. Maybe God had a plan for me to become a producer and director,” he said.

In another interview with DNA, Rakesh spoke about how he could not give enought time and attentions to his kids in their early years. “He was always closer to his mom. I was struggling to make my mark at the time, so I could not spend much time with my children. But I would make sure we went for holidays. I would join them just for about three or four days. Growing up may have been tough for them because I could not give them everything as I couldn’t afford it. But I made sure I brought them up really nicely,” he said.

Rakesh is proud of all that Hrithik has achieved in his career and managed to make a big name for himself, living the dream his father could not. “He has worked really hard. I failed as an actor. But like any parent, I wanted my son to live my dreams. Hrithik has done the things I could not do in my life. He’s a superstar, he is idolised by so many across the world. But he’s my son and he makes me a proud father. He has had his ups and downs in his career and I feel it should always happen because that’s how he will learn from his mistakes,” he said.

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Rakesh was diagnosed with cancer in 2019 and beat it successfully. In an interview with Hindustan Times, Hrithik opened up on Rakesh’s battle with cancer and how he pushed his dad to express his feelings about the same. He said, “In my father’s generation, a man was taught that masculinity meant being a rock. That a father is someone who is very strong and never expresses his vulnerability. Tears, we were taught, are feminine. But being a student of life, I have learned that strength does not mean the absence of tears. I realised that my dad had held way too much inside of him and I felt it was unhealthy.”

The father-son duo have worked together on films such as Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, Koi Mil Gaya, Krrish and Krrish 3. A next instalment in the Krrish franchise is also reportedly being developed.

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