‘I debuted with a Rs 100 cr film and then got no work’

Actor Ronit Roy has seen more than his fair share of ups and downs in the industry—from revelling in success over his debut film, and then experiencing several failures after that and finding a new lease of life in popular daily soaps. Roy, who became a household name after playing the role of Rishabh Bajaj on Kasautii Zindagi Kay, expressed the gratitude for the love that he had received after the show.

Talking to Bollywood Bubble, Roy said, “The acceptance from the industry has come gradually, and is still coming. Instant appreciation and love came from the audience and that was a game-changer. I started off with Rs 1500 a day, and it took me a while to get my first cheque of Rs 1 lakh monthly—it would always stop at Rs 83k to 89k—-it took a while. It was not just the cheque, it is my entire life. What I am today, can be accredited to Kasautii Zindagi Kay, Ektaa Kapoor and Balaji films.”  He explained that his role was 3 months initially and after the first week, he was called back. At first he was apprehensive and whether he was fired, instead, he was told that his contract was renewed for a year and then he stayed on the show for nine years.

However, he said that he is not in touch with most of the cast from Kasautii Zindagi Kay. “Not in touch with Cezanne Khan at all…he quit before it shut down, he stopped coming to sets. We never became thick friends. None of the actors from Kasautii am I in touch with, on a regular basis, ” he said adding that he only knows about them from social media. On the other hand, he is close to many cast members from Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu thi, including Tasneem Sheikh and Rakshanda Khan, who are like ‘sisters’ to him. “Still in touch with Mandira Bedi, very fond of her. We exchange messages.”  Kasautii Zindagi Kay got a reboot recently, starring Erica Fernandes. Roy said that he had ‘no feelings’ about it.

Ironically, Roy was part of the industry even before venturing into the television. However after his first film that ran for 25 weeks, he still remains perplexed about why he didn’t get offers for a long time. “I can’t analyse why after giving a silver jubilee—a  film that ran for 25 weeks that would translate into today’s numbers as Rs 150-200 crore. If you are debuting with a Rs 100 crore film and you get no work, I don’t have an answer—and then you get work, and none of them worked,” he said, adding that he learnt much from the experience.

Source: The Indian Express