Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; November 23, 2016)

It’s a known fact that Ronit Roy is the owner of a security agency that guards the stars. But did you know that he provided personal protection to Hrithik Roshan during his debut film, Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai, 16 years ago, after the film’s release? Well, he now plays the villain in Hrithik’s next Kaabil, which is also the superstar’s home production.

On the sets
Ronit admits, “I’ve known Hrithik for a long time and he’s still under my cover as my security agency guards his premises. Now, he is a megastar and I didn’t how to react on the sets.” But Hrithik made him feel comfortable. “He is extremely meticulous. During action sequences — and there are several in the film — he was particular about how safe it is not only for him, but for me, too,” says Ronit

Taking lessons
He plays Madhavrao Shela, a Maharashtrian, in Kaabil. And to play the character, he had to learn Marathi. He did this with some tutoring from actress Sonali Kulkarni’s brother Sandesh. Says Ronit, “The challenge was not in learning Marathi, but speaking Hindi like a Maharashtrian does. I had a lot of discussions with director Sanjay Gupta about how much Marathi should be used, where to use it and the balance to be struck with the character. So much so, that Gupta told me, ‘No other actor has chewed my brain as much as you’. Actually, I am known to be an irritating actor because I have a lot of questions,” he confesses. When asked if he has learnt Marathi now, he says, “Mi atta bhi shiktoy (I am still learning)!”

Sibling ke saath
The film has Ronit sharing screen space with real-life brother Rohit, too. And the two play siblings even on screen. About working with his brother, Ronit says, “Though I don’t share too many scenes with him in the film, it’s great being with him. We sit together, share lunch and discuss everything, but we rarely talk about work.” Ask him what he thinks about his brother as an actor and he proudly says, “Rohit has carved a niche. He has done some very good work.”