Rakesh Roshan says ‘re-releasing Karan Arjun is an experiment’; here’s why

As Rakesh Roshan’s 1995 film Karan Arjun re-releases in theatres today, the filmmaker confesses to feeling both “curious and nervous.” “The re-release is an experiment for me as a filmmaker,” Roshan says. “I’m nervous, because I’m presenting my film to a new generation, and curious to know what the reactions will be because the fate of the re-release will only help me gauge the mindset of the current generation of cine-goers,” he explains.

Starring actors Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, the film was a runaway success. Ask why the filmmaker chose to cast the two Khans and he replies, “I knew Shah Rukh was a hardworking and dedicated actor, having worked with him on King Uncle (1993). I had him in mind while writing Arjun.” As for Salman, whom Roshan knew as a child, he shares, “He has very deep, expressive eyes. It was something the character of Karan needed, being a man of few words.”

Working with two heroes seems like a challenge and one wonders how the filmmaker managed to pull it off with an ensemble cast featuring big names such as Rakhee and Amrish Puri. “I made sure the characters were balanced equally, from their songs to action scenes,” he reveals, adding, “I weaved my script from an actor’s perspective so that no one on my cast would have objections.”

Almost thirty years on, is there a moment from sets that stands out to him? “I remember that the crew and I were extremely pumped while shooting the ‘Bhaag Arjun Bhaag,’ bit as it was a high-emotion scene that had to be done in one take. Another scene was where Rakhee says the line, ‘Mere Karan Arjun Aayenge’. The amount of emotions she put into that scene — it was cinematic genius and we all had goosebumps,” he wraps up.