Ronit Roy: Some films are like a vacation, where you on the set and chill, and I don’t mind it
Actor Ronit Roy addresses his recent failures including Shehzada, and talks about the reasons why he agrees to do certain films knowing that there is very little for him to perform in them.
Actor Ronit Roy’s last few projects including Thugs of Hindostan (2018), Shamshera (2021) and Shehzada failed to get good reviews or get any cash registers ringing at the box office. And lead to fans question his film choices. The actor says he is aware that his fans are disappointed, and hence, he often writes to them on social media that he has no choice but to keep working and take on new projects.
He tells us, “Wahi baat hai, ‘marta kya na karta’. You can’t even say no to projects because it’s your job, and you have to continue doing it,” he tells us, adding, “Though I’m always aware what I’m getting into, there have been times when you are promised something, and then the results are something else. Those are the times when you feel underutilised also, but you can’t do anything about it.”
Nonetheless, the 57-year-old is happy, and content with his career trajectory because of several other factors involved, including a good remuneration. “I’m paid three times more than the next guy who would do the role. That means there’s respect for my name and face, and that matters [over other things]. Moreover, I get to work with directors that I’m fond of. These films are allowing me to build a bridge between me and filmmakers like Rohit Dhawan and Ali Abbas Zafar,” shares the actor, who was seen playing an antagonist alongside Shahid Kapoor, in the recent web film, Bloody Daddy.
The actor confesses that the Kartik Aaryan-starrer Shehzada was one such movie, which he did only for its director, Rohit Dhawan. Opening about the film’s failure and the probable reason behind, Roy says, “I love the Dhawans. David (Dhawan) sir always told me that I’ll call you soon for a project, but that never happened. But one day (his son) Rohit called me, and because I’m very fond of him, I agreed to do it. Rohit shot my scenes very well and I was satisfied. But because it was a big commercial set up, what you see on the screen is Rohit’s perception and what he wanted out of me. It’s not a 100% Ronit Roy performance. It’s what was expected of me and I delivered it,” he explains.
Without hesitation, Roy calls these no-brainer film “a vacation”. He elaborates, “I will call spade a space. In some films, performances are not needed. You get in their and be true to your role in it. There’s barely any prep needed. These are like a vacation where you go on set, and chill. And I don’t mind it because, simultaneously, I’m also getting to play lead roles in other smaller films.”
Amid all these box office failures, Roy prefers to look at the brighter side that his fans and people in the industry recognise him as good actor, and that’s the reason he gets to do projects that creatively satisfy him. “So, I have no complaints. A film like Bloody Daddy allowed me to experiment. These are my kinds of movies and I’m happy in my space,” he concludes.