ronit roy

Deepali Chhatwani (BOMBAY TIMES; April 26, 2023)

Ronit Bose Roy, who’s been part of showbiz for nearly 30 years across different mediums, says acting is “not a journey” for him, and that the most important thing for him as an actor is getting the details of his character right. In the initial part of his career, Ronit says people thought he was difficult to work with because he “asked a lot of questions about my character, because I wanted to be completely prepared.”

Now, however, the actor says, the newer lot of filmmakers “sit and discuss characters. It’s a 360-degree view of the entire arc and how I can best play that character. ”

In a chat, Ronit explains why he isn’t doing TV just now, his ‘cryptic post on social media’ and more. Excerpts:

Swaran Ghar was your last TV outing – and that too saw you in a cameo role. It’s been a while since you’ve done a full-fledged role in a TV show. Is your break from television a conscious one?
For anything I do on TV, things need to work out from both sides (mine and the makers). Two things happen to actors on TV – either you wither away, or you grow, and I feel I have grown as an actor.

I did try to do a show on TV, but then COVID happened. All of us tried to do the show even after COVID, but we realized that it wasn’t really working, the numbers weren’t good. The math and economics to have me on a show don’t work out for a lot of people. It is now difficult to sign me for a TV show. I am still offered a lot of TV shows, but either the budget doesn’t click, or the show lacks creativity. But I am not saying I wouldn’t do TV. If I feel a show has the potential to touch hearts, then I’m game and would do it with all the love.

You recently wrote about love, betrayal, and respect in a social media post. What made you put up something like that?
A lot of people have asked if I am doing okay. Well, I am doing fine. It is just that this episode has happened three-four times now, so I couldn’t just stop but share the wisdom that I gained from it. Some people can do anything for their careers, I am not one of them. I have achieved a lot without betraying people. I trust people until they let me down. My father always told me to trust people with a hint of distrust, now I feel that he was right.

You started doing OTT shows back in 2018. Post the pandemic, OTT has redefined the way audiences consume content. Do you feel OTT has also impacted the viewership of TV shows to a certain extent?
When I started doing OTT (with Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain), traditional TV was the bigger medium. Back then, I was among the first ones to say that OTT is here to stay, and it will be the next big thing. 2020 was a game changer for OTT and now it is the only leading player. People are so used to watching shows and films on OTT that they aren’t even going to the theatre unless it is a lavishly mounted project. Audiences have become discerning about the content they want to watch; they understand the value of good content and accordingly choose their shows. Even show makers are creating content only for OTT. Having said that, I don’t think TV viewership has been impacted by OTT.

We believe you are living out of the suitcase and shooting round the clock for OTT projects and films…
I am currently shooting for Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, and am also working on a film that’s very close to my heart. No formal announcement has been made yet, but the film and content are my kind of cinema. I’ll also start shooting for Darshan Trivedi’s mature love story, Aaj Jaane Ki Zidd Naa Karo, in May. After that I have two web shows that I will be shooting for in September. Besides these, I will also be shooting for Rohit’s (Roy) directorial debut in Gujarati.