Protestors in the US take a fancy to Ronit Roy’s mask-making video. Here is what he has to say

Ronit Roy’s DIY mask-making video, which he made in April, has gone viral once again. It is being circulated in the US as the country faces widespread protests after George Floyd’s death in Minnesota, with people encouraging its use to hide their identities .

Serendipity is a baffling phenomenon. Things executed with a certain intent end up becoming totally different entities with a newfound purpose. This is what has seemed to happen with Ronit Roy’s DIY mask-making video, which he made in April. The video had gone viral at that time, getting coverage in international media as well. This time, it is being circulated in the US as the country faces widespread protests after George Floyd’s death in Minnesota. While his purpose with the video was to tell people how easy it is to make a mask out of a t-shirt, people in the US are encouraging its use to hide their identities while protesting.

Ronit Roy’s video, in which he makes a mask out of a t-shirt, has gone viral amid nationwide protests in the US. (Photo: Gokul VS/HT)

“I really don’t know how to react to it. It was something to keep yourself safe with. It’s not an achievement; it’s just something that somebody picked up. The first time around it was shared, I was really happy,” says Roy. The video has garnered around 124.5k likes and 27k retweets on Twitter, and has been viewed over 77k times on Instagram.

He points that the whole purpose of the video was to make a mask with the most easily available item. “I was not thinking internationally; I was thinking about my country. There were videos of people making masks that required scissors, bands etc. I was like, in a lockdown, people who are migrants, where are they going to get bands, needles and scissors and stitch a mask? The weave of the t-shirt is such that once doubled or tripled, it’s effective. The point is everybody has a t-shirt,” he explains.

While the lockdown hit people in different ways, for the Udaan (2010) actor, nothing much changed. “It is not difficult for me to stay positive. I am a recluse anyway and I like my home. The most important people, whom I call my world, they are inside my house,” he shares.

The 54-year old actor has his own ways of dealing with the crisis. He taught himself how to play the saxophone, reads books and makes sure to practice his craft. “I bought the saxophone in 2015 and have been learning since. I am lucky that this has given me time to practice. I study and the books I have will last me a lifetime,” he reveals, adding, “Otherwise I have no talents; I am fixing air conditioner leaks and sanitising vegetables.”

Unfazed by the aftermath of coronavirus, he speaks with optimism in his voice that is matched with equal measures of practicality. “This is not the first epidemic in the world. Life has (always) gone on. That’s the whole point of humanity. The first reaction is fear, the second reaction is how to overcome it. Darr ke kitna samay baithe rahoge; eventually fear dissipates. The narrative has changed from ‘stay home’ to ‘stay safe’. That’s why lockdown has changed to Unlock 1.0. Shoots will start happening, people will take precautions,” he says.

Supporting others in any capacity during these testing times has been at the fore for many, and the same holds true for Roy. He is taking care of 100 families who have been working for him. “I cannot pay them their full salaries because as an actor, I have not been paid any money since January, and my company has been shut since March. Whatever else I am doing, I have no interest in letting people know. I don’t like to talk about it. I don’t want any brownie points,” he says.

Read: Ronit Roy says ‘thali banging’ is done, time to focus on more ‘pressing matters’; encourages everyone to feed domestic help

This is also one of the reasons he stays away from making a commentary on social media. But there are certain issues he feels strongly about, the most recent being about boycotting Chinese products. “They are bullying us. Raising their troops at the LAC, increased patrolling...what are they trying to say? Every move is a statement. These are veiled threats,” he says.

With a career spanning almost three decades, different media and some unforgettable performance-driven roles, it is hard for Roy to identify himself as anything but an actor. A self-confessed workaholic, he is obsessed with his craft, of which his body of work is a clear testimony. “I have only two things in life — my family and my work. It is my existence and even here, I don’t want to prove anything to the world. The person I see first in the morning is myself, and the person I talk to the most is myself, so I can’t lie to myself. I ask myself everyday, “ki bhaiyya kya kar liya tune?” It’s a huge craft of which I am a very small part. Each day, I promise myself that there will be a day when I will leave an indelible mark not just on Indian film industry, but global cinema,” he signs off.

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