'Koi... Mil Gaya' Turns 20: Rakesh Roshan Opens Up On The Idea Behind The Concept Of An ALIEN In The Hrithik Roshan Starrer Film!
A sci-fi film for kids and families called 'Koi... Mil Gaya' was the brainchild of director Rakesh Roshan's granddaughter, who used to enjoy an animated series with an alien. The story of 'Koi... Mil Gaya' focused on Rohit Mehra (Hrithik Roshan), a young man with developmental disabilities, and his fortuitous meeting with an alien named Jaadoo, who grants him new abilities. On August 8, 2003, the movie was released, and it quickly became a financial success.
In a recent interview, film’s director Rakesh Roshan said, "The idea of making 'Koi... Mil Gaya' struck me one day when I was observing my granddaughter Suranika (Sunaina Roshan's daughter) watching a cartoon that featured an alien. I was instantly intrigued and asked her out of curiosity if she understood the concept and she explained the story to me. I was surprised that a kid her age not only understood what an alien was but also seemed entertained by the sci-fi concept."
Rakesh Roshan stated that the aim of 'Koi... Mil Gaya' was to make a sci-fi scenario that was simple to follow. The movie also prominently features Preity Zinta and Rekha.
He further added, "It was a sci-fi movie with an alien, which was a very novel concept at that time in India."
With his own group of buddies known as 'The super six,' Hrithik portrayed Rohit as a man with the mental capacity of a nine-year-old. Rohit's pals were portrayed by actors Hansika Motwani, Omkar Purohit, Jai Choksi, Mohit Makkad, and Pranita Bishnoi.
The director claimed to have complete faith in Hrithik's talent but was shocked when his famous son outperformed the projections.
The director also recalled, "The task was that he had to play this role alongside five other kids, so he had to fit in and not play the part as a solo hero. I gave him this opportunity because I believed in his talent and I had full faith that he would do justice to the part... He did his research, and got into the skin of his character and camouflaged in between all the kids, that was completely mind blowing. It was a filmmaker's delight to watch an actor deliver beyond imagination."
According to Rakesh Roshan, creating the extraterrestrial was the most difficult aspect of the film. With the idea for the movie, he got in touch with Australian artists James Callner and Lara Denman.
He mentioned, "I was certain that I wanted an alien that the children would not be scared off, rather someone who would be seen as a friendly alien. So, I shared the concept of an alien who was of the same height as the children and someone with very expressive eyes, as Jaadoo primarily communicates through his eyes. Basically, they shared a sketch of Jaadoo and it was in that instant I knew 'Jaadoo Mil Gaya' (we have found Jaadoo). All these little little things together added up to the connect 'Koi... Mil Gaya' has been with the kids and has been garnering love since the last 20 years."
'Koi... Mil Gaya' was followed by 'Krissh' (2006), which Rakesh Roshan then developed into a franchise with 'Krrish 3' (2013). The director was motivated to create a film franchise out of 'Koi... Mil Gaya' by 'The Lord of the Rings' film series.
The 73-year-old director stated, "I had the idea of taking forward the story of 'Koi... Mil Gaya' as the ending had potential. I thought of a one line concept and discussed it with Hrithik and he was overwhelmed with joy upon hearing it."
It was difficult to introduce a superhero movie to the Indian public, according to Roshan. The director reflected on how crucial it was to maintain the film's emotional intensity for Indian viewers.
He added, "It was the first time we were to introduce a superhero film to the Indian audience. We did not have reference points from past Indian films. While there were international superhero films being made at that time, the Indian audience needed films that were high on emotions too. The fact that 'Krrish' became a blockbuster was because it was a superhero film with a very human heart at its core, full of emotions. Since its inception, 'Koi... Mil Gaya' franchise has been an ambitious idea. We've always upped the scale and the stakes. My ambition is high to carry forward 'Krrish', both as a story and as a visual entertainer. When we made 'Koi... Mil Gaya' there was minimal use of VFX as it was a new concept, only the spaceship scene had VFX, rest was groundwork and a lot of hard work to create from scratch. Now with the technology of VFX at its peak, we have set higher standards and are dreaming bigger."
The screenplay for 'Koi... Mil Gaya' was co-written by Honey Irani, Sachin Bhowmick, Robin Bhatt, and Roshan, who also contributed a tale to the film. The dialogue was written by Javed Siddiqui. Rajesh Roshan was the composer of the music.
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