Formed in the 1970s, the Puerto Rican boy band Menudo were a powerful cultural force across Latin America, and, eventually, for Spanish speaking audiences worldwide. The group’s founder, Edgardo Díaz, employed a strategy of phasing out older members once they entered their later teens, and replacing them with younger ones, so that the group could continue indefinitely.

The new HBO Max documentary “Menudo: Forever Young,” co-directed by Kristofer Ríos and Angel Manuel Soto, traces the rise of the group and also examines the allegations made by several former members that Díaz physically abused them. Díaz has denied those allegations.

The Takeaway speaks with Ralphy Rodriguez, former member of Menudo and current singer and bass player for the band Veinte/Ochenta and Kristofer Ríos, co-director and co-executive producer of “Menudo: Forever Young.”