Rakesh Roshan recalls the underworld attack on him after Hrithik Roshan's debut in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai; says, 'I refused to give into arm twisting tactics'

Rakesh and Hrithik Roshan

The year 2000 brought both glory and peril for the Roshan family. While the release of Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai on January 14 catapulted Hrithik Roshan to overnight stardom, the triumph was overshadowed by a life-threatening attack on Rakesh Roshan just days later.

On January 21, Rakesh Roshan was shot outside his Mumbai office by assailants linked to the underworld. Despite being struck by two bullets, the veteran director-producer heroically managed to drive himself to the hospital and survived the attack.

This incident highlighted the pervasive influence of the underworld in Bollywood during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Filmmakers and actors frequently received threats, and the brutal murder of Gulshan Kumar in 1997 served as a grim reminder of the consequences of defying criminal elements.

In a recent interview with Bollywood Hungama, Rakesh Roshan revealed that the attack stemmed from his refusal to comply with the underworld's demands. They had pressured him to secure Hrithik’s dates for a film financed by their network, but Rakesh stood firm.

"I never gave any indication that Hrithik could do a film for them," he said. "I kept putting them off, saying Hrithik had no dates, which was true. They then asked me to take dates away from other producers and give it to them. This, too, I refused to do."

The tension was immense. "Once I had committed my son’s dates elsewhere, I refused to give in to arm-twisting tactics. With the kind of fear and pressure we faced, it was impossible to focus on creativity or filmmaking."

The attack had a profound effect on Hrithik Roshan, who was just beginning his career. In an interview with Simi Garewal, Hrithik had confessed he felt a sense of guilt, believing he was "directly or indirectly responsible" for the ordeal his father endured. At one point, he even contemplated quitting films altogether.

Despite the harrowing experience, the Roshan family persevered. Hrithik went on to become one of Bollywood's biggest stars, and Rakesh continued to helm successful projects.