Ronit Roy, who’s been away from the small screen for over two years, explains why TV isn’t working out right now; discusses playing Dad to newbie Warina on the big screen.
Shravan Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 5, 2018)

It has been over two years since Ronit Roy, who found a second lease of showbiz life with Ekta Kapoor’s daily soap Kasuatii Zindagi Kay, has been on TV. With reports of the show, which premiered in 2002, making a comeback, there’s speculation if the 52-year-old actor will reprise his role as Rishabh Bajaj. “I have no call on that yet, but if it’s a daily, it will be difficult for me to do,” Ronit says, quick to add that he believes in the saying, ‘never say never’. “Currently, there’s no time for me to commit to a television show because there is a lot of other work happening. There is also a major shift in viewing platforms. For whatever reasons, nobody is writing anything for television. I have been off TV for two-and-a- half years. The offers that came my way during this time didn’t interest me in the least.”

For now, the actor is busy with Abhiraj Minawala’s directorial debut Loveratri, which launches Salman Khan’s brother-in-law, Aayush Sharma, and newbie Warina Hussain. Shot against the backdrop of Navratri, the film features Ronit as Warina’s father. “I guess the makers thought of me because of my roles in Udaan and 2 States (the actor played a distant, brooding patriarch in both films). However, the driving force in this film is different from the other two. I play father to a girl and the bone of contention is born out of my love for her, so, the performance will not be as intense or dark here. This time, I’m a loving, caring and protective father,” Ronit informs, adding that he got a call from Salman’s production house in January. “I am close to the family and so I came on board immediately after meeting Abhiraj, there was no back and forth.”

The film went on the floors in early March with the first schedule in Baroda. Ronit joined the team from March 24, during the second schedule in Ahmedabad, as the female protagonist arrives only later in the film. The team will now head to London after which the film will wrap up in Mumbai. About his young co-stars, Ronit said, “Aayush is not a newcomer. He is from a film family and has been around for a while. He has seen everything. He is a charming man while Warina is playful but attentive and receptive to advice,” he signs off.