Hrithik Roshan's father Rakesh Roshan once had to mortgage their home without informing anyone. What had happened?

Time of India

25-04-2025

Renowned filmmaker
Rakesh Roshan
steadily climbed the ladder of success after moving away from acting and focusing fully on directing. His children, actor
Hrithik Roshan
and producer
Sunaina Roshan
, have strived to honor and extend their father's cinematic legacy in their unique ways.
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However, as revealed in the Netflix documentary The Roshans, Rakesh's journey was far from smooth. He encountered significant challenges as a filmmaker, especially during the early stages of his career. In a recent interview, Sunaina opened up about her father's unwavering determination and the enormous risk he took to support Hrithik's debut as a lead actor.
Speaking to
News18,
Sunaina elaborated on her father's hardships as both a director and a film producer. She recalled the immense financial burden he bore while creating some of his biggest projects. 'At that age, we were too young to grasp what was really happening,' she shared. 'Dad had put everything on the line—he even mortgaged our home not once, but twice. Our cars and office were also pledged during the making of
Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai
and Khudgarz. Despite the odds, he faced everything with incredible courage.'
Sunaina was quick to emphasize that their father shielded them from the stress and strain of his professional life. 'He never brought any of that home,' she said. 'We had absolutely no clue about the pressure he was under. Both Hrithik and I experienced a calm, happy childhood.' She also reflected on how things were different in that era, noting, 'Back then, there wasn't social media. People didn't scrutinize your background the way they do today, and our father was never the kind to brag about his achievements.'
Rakesh Roshan himself has spoken about the financial uncertainty he faced while launching Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai. In a previous conversation with Mid-Day, he explained, 'Hrithik had no idea, I never told him. Only my wife was aware. I had mortgaged our house and said, 'If it comes to it, I'll borrow money, but I'll try to handle it on my own.' Thankfully, I managed it within my means. But had the film flopped, we would've had to move out.'
In The Roshans documentary, Hrithik recounted the moment he discovered how much his father had risked. 'I once got upset over a minor technical issue in the film,' he recalled. 'That night, my mother revealed the truth—that everything had been mortgaged. That was the first time I understood how much my father had put on the line for me.'