Ronit Roy: ‘I debuted with a Rs one hundred cr movie and then acquired no work’

Actor Ronit Roy has seen more than his fair share of ups and downs in the industry—from reveling 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 his 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.