With his home production, Kaabil starring Hrithik Roshan and Yami Guatam, all get to release on 25 Jan, Rakesh Roshan is confident that the tale, revolving around a visually impaired couple, will do well owing to the wonderfully woven script that has a strong emotional string. According to him, this is the success mantra for a hit at the box office. “Undeniably, superficial tales fail to allure the audiences. Sultan, Neerja, Pink and Dangal, are some recent examples, which did well at the B.O., simply owing to the emotional connect. Basically, nothing has changed. Unless the film has the emotional connect, it does not appeal to the audiences,” says Roshan, who catches a new film in the theatres every Friday. “The day we stop learning is the last day for us,” he adds.

Roshan senior and his son Hrithik are the perfect team, he tells us. “We always like to conclude our discussions on a positive note. We do not have any ego hassles. In fact, I always like to hear from the new generation. He has assisted me in almost four or five films.” It helps that they understand each other. “He knows that for my films, scenic locales play an important part. For example, if I need a boat for a scene, he knows that I will go to any extent to get the best boat from anywhere in the world. He only insists that I add a contemporary touch to my songs,” says Rakesh.

Do these ties extended to his contemporaries in the industry as well? “I do discuss things with my friends. I am social, especially with friends who understand and support me, and above all, are genuine. Still, but neither do I attend filmy parties, nor do not I associate with people from the same profession. I notice that there are many people who back-stab you. They pretend to be friends but mouka aane par, kuch bhi kar sakte hai (given a chance, they can do anything). Look at the way they write on Twitter.”

But he doesn’t attribute that attitude to showbiz per se. Says Rakesh, “This is an inherent quality that exists in every human being. People are insecure.”

Going back to his son, Rakesh agrees Hrithik is not seeing the best of times. “I advised Hrithik not be scared of failures at all. I have seen tough times as well so when a few of his films didn’t do well at the initial stages, I told him to just work hard, and that he will bounce back in a way that, sab ki ankhen khuli ki khuli reh jayegi (everyone will marvel wide-eyed at his achievements).

We Roshans are a close-knit family – that is the strength. During the rougher times, we remain stable, unmoved and above all, being a family with a strong bond, is the biggest strength. Bad times never last and as long as you have family solidarity,” he concludes.