Posted:
June,2006
Showtime Magazine
(Typing it out for you)
SUPERSTAR AT 40- RONIT ROY
THE HIGHEST PAID ACTOR ON TELEVISION
"I am not in the Rat Race"
Ronit Roy enjoys the indisputable position of being the only 40-plus TV actor who's considered just as hot as his 20-something counterparts. He's just as popular, if not more amongst the ladies and even today, after a marriage and a baby; the appeal is not diminishing in the least.
Today, Ronit is at a point where all this does not matter at all.His focus is restricted to two main spheres- work and family. High-flying ambitions, the zest to acquire big things in life,the zeal to party every night...they've all taken a backseat. "When you dont need to prove anything to anybody, these things dont matter anymore. I'd rather be known for the kind of person I am or for the work I am doing than the brand of the car I drive."
For someone who's gone through an enormously long period of struggle, Ronit has come out fighting and at the top. He's said to be the highest paid actor in the industry and rightly so, because there are a few stalwarts who exhibit the same diligence and dedication as Ronit does towards his career.
Presently, we see him in two dailies, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kasautii Zindagi Kay, both in lead roles.And there was a time when he played the lead in Sarrkkar too. Doesn't he ever feel he has too much on his plate? Or is he making uo for the days when there was no work? He contemplates for a long time before answering,"In a way,yes,I am making up for it.But it's not a conscious move that because I struggled once, and things were left wanting, now is the time to make up. I think today, my time is right. I've been doing Kyunki.. and Kasautii.. for almost five years. Things used to be quite bad;I would even shoot twenty hours a day. Now it's much better,I do get an evening off here and there.I have no complaints regarding matters related to time or work."
But wasnt taking on Sarrkkar too much? "Yes, it was. Taking on Sarrkkar, in hindsight, was getting a little too much. Sarrkkar did not start out as a daily but ended up coming on air 5 times a week. At that time, even Kasautii and Kyunki.. became 5 days a week. I realised that doing three dailies in the lead was too much."
Is Ronit satisfied with the saas-bahu staple fare that he is a part of? "It does get monotonous sometimes. The track cannot be on you all the time. There are times when it shifts away to somebody else and your inputs as an actor or the use of your faculties as an actor diminishes. The positive side of it is that it's your time to relax. Currently, my tracks in both Kasautii..and Kyunki..require me to work very hard. By evening, I'm absolutely sapped out. So basically, when there's a lull phase, it's best to play that time out. Soon, Ekta brings in something exciting and all your energies are renewed and there's something new to do within the saas-bahu format. Kasautii is not really a saas-bahu serial; it's more of a love story. New talent has come in which has worked for Kasautii.."
That would mean he's absolutely comfortable with generation leaps unlike most of his colleagues who are quite displeased."Yeah,I'm quite cool with it. The thing to understand is that unlike the others who are in their mid to late-twenties, I am 40. So for me to play a 50-60 year old is not a problem For somebody who's 25, who's not seen life, who's just starting, it's a little jolting when you're asked to play a 50-year old."
Is he looking for something different in terms of work? Something that would challenge his sensibilities as an actor perhaps?" I was offered Aman's (Verma) role in Virasat.I was really looking forward to that because that would have been totally different. What was narrated to me was an out and out negative role. But again, time and prior commitments did not allow me to take it up. See, there's no point in looking because even if I find it, I cant do anything about it.Rather, let me finish these two commitments."
It is these two commitments that have made Ronit into a superstar and both come from the Balaji stable. And he agrees that Balaji has, to a large extent, resurrected his career. Infact, he's now called the Amitabh Bachchan of TV. It must be a great feeling, right? He breaks into laughter and as he says "Although it's an honour, the body of work that Mr Bachchan has done, I dont think I've done even one-hundredth of that quality of work. Even in terms of television, Amitabh Bachchan of TV is Amitabh Bachchan with KBC. But I'm happy that I've been successful in this opportunity to even be mentioned in the same breath as him."
Has Ronit ever thought about giving films another try? "When I moved to TV, a lot of people asked me what made me move from films to television? But for me, it was quite the case of beggars cant be choosers."
He narrates an incident that deeply affected him,"This happened when I was shooting a film in Dalhousie. I was sitting there with my fellow actors and a group of school children came there.Among them, was a very sweet girl. One of the actors called out to her and asked her what her name was. She gave her name. Then he asked her what her father did. That kind of struck a chord in me. If you're an actor, then nobody should have to ask what your father does. They should know.That was the last film I did.After that I decided that if I would do work as an actor; it would only be quality work and if I didnt get any, then I wouldnt work at all."
He goes on to add,"When I look at the work I've done in the past, as an actor, I have been terrible.Even now I dont think I'm a great actor or anything but my past work was very, very bad. Maybe it was a viscious circle that I was not a good actor or I wasnt delivering so I was not getting good work. Whatever it was, all's well that ends well. As far as looking for films is concerned, I stopped looking after the Dalhousie incident. Infact, till date, I've never gone to a prodcer's office, I dont even have a portfolio. I dont ask for work, the reason being if somebody thinks I'm capable of handling a particular role, they'll come to me anyway. I like it that way. The biggies like Yash Chopraji, Subhashji (Ghai), Ramuji (Gopal Varma) or Sanjay Leela Bhansali, if they think there is a role I can do, I dont mind audtioning."
Ronit shares a very warm relationship with Subhash Ghai whom he considers a father figure."Mr Ghai is like a father to me. When I came to Mumbai,I lived with him. In my journey from boy to man, whether it was grooming or anything else, he had a very big hand. Although he never spoilt me or gave me anything that I did not deserve, he didnt give me things I deserved also. But we wont go there. He taught me a lot; he let me take my decisions by myself; wrong ones, right ones, whatever they were. I used to be a very cocky boy so maybe he let me take those wrong decisions or make those wrong moves otherwise,I wouldn't have learnt. Some people need to be whacked to learn a lesson. I guess I was one of those kids. But otherwise he shielded me like a father. That struggle for your vada pav, I never had to do. Eventually, after that, when I left his house and started living on my own, those five-six years, the downhill ride began. Questions like how am I going to pay my rent came up.I still feel I've led a charmed life.Someone up there loves me because from some quarter or other, money used to come. I've been down but never out completely."
As far as Ronit's personal life is concerned, he;s akways been linked with younger women, like his daughters in Kasautii, Jennifer Winget and Surveen Chawla. "All this does not bother me nor does it bother them.When the link-up with Surveen happened, I got worried for her. I told her let me call up your parents and talk to them. They're far away; they dont know the real story. But she said she'd spoken to them them and they knew it wasnt true. The only logical conclusion as to how these things start is that when you have a large ensemble of actors, say some 15 or 20, it is not necessary that everybody has to get along with one another. Because there are so many different personalities at work. You know, when two men are buddies and they hang out together, then nobody says they're gay or having an affair. Somehow it happens when a man and a woman spend time on the sets which inevitably happens when you're shooting together for 12-14 hours, you're bound to get into a conversation with somebody. Through those conversations, you get along with some people and don't get along with some."
He elaborates,"There are also other factors at play like jealousy and petty thinking.You cant avoid that completely. Even if you keep it to yourself, you're called arrogant. So it's a no-win situation. But I guess, whoever these young girls are, whom I've been linked with, their families know me, my family knows me, all my fans and friends know that nothing's happening. It makes for good reading, that's it."
Does he feel his once-upon-a-time Casanova image has now tamed down considerably? "I had that tag but it's not so much now. Even then, I was always a one-woman man. I never went around doing the Casanova kind of things. But yes, at that point of time, I was a bachelor, so I had more women friends.Let me tell you about this incident which happened in the early 90's. Some magazine carried an article about me with an blonde girl in a discotheque and they wrote a very spicy story. Now that girl happens to be my cousin. When something like this happens, what do you do?"
He states succintly,"There are a lot of factors that could have helped in ridding me of the Casanova tag.I'm married, and there's my age. I don't even go out anymore. Even if I do, it's very rare.I've gone out so much in the phase when I had nothing much to do.I guess with age, most people quieten down. Also,I dont enjoy drinking anymore. My morning starts very early with martial arts. So if I drink,the whole day goes out of control."
Life for Ronit seems extremely disciplined.Perhaps it is the calm of his personal life that helps him deal with the unruly atmosphere on the Kasautii sets,"Firstly, I know people say it but I dont agree with the fact that nobody gets along on the set. If you're talking about Cezzane and Shweta and me,one thing I'll say about both of them is that they're professionals. People come, do their job, and go away. Shweta is married, she has a child, and I'm sure apart from work, she has a lot of things to do at home. Cezzane must have a lot of things to do other than shooting. Eventually, nobody's life is problem-free. When these problems accumulate, there has to be a vent. But I must say that most things reported are blown out of proportion."
So the recent fracas that happened on the set, involving Shweta punching Ronit, was not true then? "No, it's true.It did happen. But that's okay because that was her reaction to it. I dont hold it against her. It's forgotten and done with."
That would mean all this doesn't matter at all."It shouldn't matter. You're there to do a job. Immediately after that incident, we did a scene togethr and it was highly appreciated.That's the bottom line, whether you're delivering or not. Even after the punch, there is no animosity. We dont call each other names. Things happen, people move on. I move on too, I dont have the habit of carrying my past baggage with me."
Ronit's approach to life is very much influenced by the spirituality that embodies it. Has he always been spiritual or is this something he has moved towards over the years? "I haven't always been spiritual. Maybe 15 years earlier,I might have reacted differently. I am still learning the basics and the roots of spirituality. I'm trying to answer a lot of questions, find a lot of things. I dont know why I've suddenly become spiritual though. Maybe because my Jupiter in in the 7th house and my Mars in teh 12th house. I think it's a good way to lead your life.Like I said,all the baggage is lost because the past is in the past. I have the habit of living in the now, in the present, living in today because living in the past is gone and tomorrow is not yet here. So there's no point worrying about them."
He firmly says,"I hold no grudges, I have nothing to prove to anybody.I'm not in the rat race and dont even want to be. If somebody is winning or is ahead of me,I'll be happy for them.I'm very happy where I am,I dont want to compete. What Ekta expects from me,I strive to do a little better than that."
Today, Ronit can state all of this emphatically because he's anyway at the top of the marquee. He need not prove anything because he's already accepted as the very best. And if there are any doubts, Ronit will only strive harder to get better!
-Sneha Kamat
:)
From me aka Sukhi- you'd BETTER like this coz this took an HOUR to type! LOL!
Showtime Magazine
(Typing it out for you)
SUPERSTAR AT 40- RONIT ROY
THE HIGHEST PAID ACTOR ON TELEVISION
"I am not in the Rat Race"
Ronit Roy enjoys the indisputable position of being the only 40-plus TV actor who's considered just as hot as his 20-something counterparts. He's just as popular, if not more amongst the ladies and even today, after a marriage and a baby; the appeal is not diminishing in the least.
Today, Ronit is at a point where all this does not matter at all.His focus is restricted to two main spheres- work and family. High-flying ambitions, the zest to acquire big things in life,the zeal to party every night...they've all taken a backseat. "When you dont need to prove anything to anybody, these things dont matter anymore. I'd rather be known for the kind of person I am or for the work I am doing than the brand of the car I drive."
For someone who's gone through an enormously long period of struggle, Ronit has come out fighting and at the top. He's said to be the highest paid actor in the industry and rightly so, because there are a few stalwarts who exhibit the same diligence and dedication as Ronit does towards his career.
Presently, we see him in two dailies, Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kasautii Zindagi Kay, both in lead roles.And there was a time when he played the lead in Sarrkkar too. Doesn't he ever feel he has too much on his plate? Or is he making uo for the days when there was no work? He contemplates for a long time before answering,"In a way,yes,I am making up for it.But it's not a conscious move that because I struggled once, and things were left wanting, now is the time to make up. I think today, my time is right. I've been doing Kyunki.. and Kasautii.. for almost five years. Things used to be quite bad;I would even shoot twenty hours a day. Now it's much better,I do get an evening off here and there.I have no complaints regarding matters related to time or work."
But wasnt taking on Sarrkkar too much? "Yes, it was. Taking on Sarrkkar, in hindsight, was getting a little too much. Sarrkkar did not start out as a daily but ended up coming on air 5 times a week. At that time, even Kasautii and Kyunki.. became 5 days a week. I realised that doing three dailies in the lead was too much."
Is Ronit satisfied with the saas-bahu staple fare that he is a part of? "It does get monotonous sometimes. The track cannot be on you all the time. There are times when it shifts away to somebody else and your inputs as an actor or the use of your faculties as an actor diminishes. The positive side of it is that it's your time to relax. Currently, my tracks in both Kasautii..and Kyunki..require me to work very hard. By evening, I'm absolutely sapped out. So basically, when there's a lull phase, it's best to play that time out. Soon, Ekta brings in something exciting and all your energies are renewed and there's something new to do within the saas-bahu format. Kasautii is not really a saas-bahu serial; it's more of a love story. New talent has come in which has worked for Kasautii.."
That would mean he's absolutely comfortable with generation leaps unlike most of his colleagues who are quite displeased."Yeah,I'm quite cool with it. The thing to understand is that unlike the others who are in their mid to late-twenties, I am 40. So for me to play a 50-60 year old is not a problem For somebody who's 25, who's not seen life, who's just starting, it's a little jolting when you're asked to play a 50-year old."
Is he looking for something different in terms of work? Something that would challenge his sensibilities as an actor perhaps?" I was offered Aman's (Verma) role in Virasat.I was really looking forward to that because that would have been totally different. What was narrated to me was an out and out negative role. But again, time and prior commitments did not allow me to take it up. See, there's no point in looking because even if I find it, I cant do anything about it.Rather, let me finish these two commitments."
It is these two commitments that have made Ronit into a superstar and both come from the Balaji stable. And he agrees that Balaji has, to a large extent, resurrected his career. Infact, he's now called the Amitabh Bachchan of TV. It must be a great feeling, right? He breaks into laughter and as he says "Although it's an honour, the body of work that Mr Bachchan has done, I dont think I've done even one-hundredth of that quality of work. Even in terms of television, Amitabh Bachchan of TV is Amitabh Bachchan with KBC. But I'm happy that I've been successful in this opportunity to even be mentioned in the same breath as him."
Has Ronit ever thought about giving films another try? "When I moved to TV, a lot of people asked me what made me move from films to television? But for me, it was quite the case of beggars cant be choosers."
He narrates an incident that deeply affected him,"This happened when I was shooting a film in Dalhousie. I was sitting there with my fellow actors and a group of school children came there.Among them, was a very sweet girl. One of the actors called out to her and asked her what her name was. She gave her name. Then he asked her what her father did. That kind of struck a chord in me. If you're an actor, then nobody should have to ask what your father does. They should know.That was the last film I did.After that I decided that if I would do work as an actor; it would only be quality work and if I didnt get any, then I wouldnt work at all."
He goes on to add,"When I look at the work I've done in the past, as an actor, I have been terrible.Even now I dont think I'm a great actor or anything but my past work was very, very bad. Maybe it was a viscious circle that I was not a good actor or I wasnt delivering so I was not getting good work. Whatever it was, all's well that ends well. As far as looking for films is concerned, I stopped looking after the Dalhousie incident. Infact, till date, I've never gone to a prodcer's office, I dont even have a portfolio. I dont ask for work, the reason being if somebody thinks I'm capable of handling a particular role, they'll come to me anyway. I like it that way. The biggies like Yash Chopraji, Subhashji (Ghai), Ramuji (Gopal Varma) or Sanjay Leela Bhansali, if they think there is a role I can do, I dont mind audtioning."
Ronit shares a very warm relationship with Subhash Ghai whom he considers a father figure."Mr Ghai is like a father to me. When I came to Mumbai,I lived with him. In my journey from boy to man, whether it was grooming or anything else, he had a very big hand. Although he never spoilt me or gave me anything that I did not deserve, he didnt give me things I deserved also. But we wont go there. He taught me a lot; he let me take my decisions by myself; wrong ones, right ones, whatever they were. I used to be a very cocky boy so maybe he let me take those wrong decisions or make those wrong moves otherwise,I wouldn't have learnt. Some people need to be whacked to learn a lesson. I guess I was one of those kids. But otherwise he shielded me like a father. That struggle for your vada pav, I never had to do. Eventually, after that, when I left his house and started living on my own, those five-six years, the downhill ride began. Questions like how am I going to pay my rent came up.I still feel I've led a charmed life.Someone up there loves me because from some quarter or other, money used to come. I've been down but never out completely."
As far as Ronit's personal life is concerned, he;s akways been linked with younger women, like his daughters in Kasautii, Jennifer Winget and Surveen Chawla. "All this does not bother me nor does it bother them.When the link-up with Surveen happened, I got worried for her. I told her let me call up your parents and talk to them. They're far away; they dont know the real story. But she said she'd spoken to them them and they knew it wasnt true. The only logical conclusion as to how these things start is that when you have a large ensemble of actors, say some 15 or 20, it is not necessary that everybody has to get along with one another. Because there are so many different personalities at work. You know, when two men are buddies and they hang out together, then nobody says they're gay or having an affair. Somehow it happens when a man and a woman spend time on the sets which inevitably happens when you're shooting together for 12-14 hours, you're bound to get into a conversation with somebody. Through those conversations, you get along with some people and don't get along with some."
He elaborates,"There are also other factors at play like jealousy and petty thinking.You cant avoid that completely. Even if you keep it to yourself, you're called arrogant. So it's a no-win situation. But I guess, whoever these young girls are, whom I've been linked with, their families know me, my family knows me, all my fans and friends know that nothing's happening. It makes for good reading, that's it."
Does he feel his once-upon-a-time Casanova image has now tamed down considerably? "I had that tag but it's not so much now. Even then, I was always a one-woman man. I never went around doing the Casanova kind of things. But yes, at that point of time, I was a bachelor, so I had more women friends.Let me tell you about this incident which happened in the early 90's. Some magazine carried an article about me with an blonde girl in a discotheque and they wrote a very spicy story. Now that girl happens to be my cousin. When something like this happens, what do you do?"
He states succintly,"There are a lot of factors that could have helped in ridding me of the Casanova tag.I'm married, and there's my age. I don't even go out anymore. Even if I do, it's very rare.I've gone out so much in the phase when I had nothing much to do.I guess with age, most people quieten down. Also,I dont enjoy drinking anymore. My morning starts very early with martial arts. So if I drink,the whole day goes out of control."
Life for Ronit seems extremely disciplined.Perhaps it is the calm of his personal life that helps him deal with the unruly atmosphere on the Kasautii sets,"Firstly, I know people say it but I dont agree with the fact that nobody gets along on the set. If you're talking about Cezzane and Shweta and me,one thing I'll say about both of them is that they're professionals. People come, do their job, and go away. Shweta is married, she has a child, and I'm sure apart from work, she has a lot of things to do at home. Cezzane must have a lot of things to do other than shooting. Eventually, nobody's life is problem-free. When these problems accumulate, there has to be a vent. But I must say that most things reported are blown out of proportion."
So the recent fracas that happened on the set, involving Shweta punching Ronit, was not true then? "No, it's true.It did happen. But that's okay because that was her reaction to it. I dont hold it against her. It's forgotten and done with."
That would mean all this doesn't matter at all."It shouldn't matter. You're there to do a job. Immediately after that incident, we did a scene togethr and it was highly appreciated.That's the bottom line, whether you're delivering or not. Even after the punch, there is no animosity. We dont call each other names. Things happen, people move on. I move on too, I dont have the habit of carrying my past baggage with me."
Ronit's approach to life is very much influenced by the spirituality that embodies it. Has he always been spiritual or is this something he has moved towards over the years? "I haven't always been spiritual. Maybe 15 years earlier,I might have reacted differently. I am still learning the basics and the roots of spirituality. I'm trying to answer a lot of questions, find a lot of things. I dont know why I've suddenly become spiritual though. Maybe because my Jupiter in in the 7th house and my Mars in teh 12th house. I think it's a good way to lead your life.Like I said,all the baggage is lost because the past is in the past. I have the habit of living in the now, in the present, living in today because living in the past is gone and tomorrow is not yet here. So there's no point worrying about them."
He firmly says,"I hold no grudges, I have nothing to prove to anybody.I'm not in the rat race and dont even want to be. If somebody is winning or is ahead of me,I'll be happy for them.I'm very happy where I am,I dont want to compete. What Ekta expects from me,I strive to do a little better than that."
Today, Ronit can state all of this emphatically because he's anyway at the top of the marquee. He need not prove anything because he's already accepted as the very best. And if there are any doubts, Ronit will only strive harder to get better!
-Sneha Kamat
:)
From me aka Sukhi- you'd BETTER like this coz this took an HOUR to type! LOL!
CID
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
