‘MOOLCHAND PE MATHA TEKNE ZARUR JAATA HOON’
Rohit Roy’s must-visit destination in the Capital includes the parathewala that one can’t miss
My first trip to Delhi after Swabhimaan (TV show) was in ’96. When I reached the venue and saw people chanting ‘Rishabh… Rishabh’ (his character’s name in the show), it gave me goosebumps. I didn’t know what to do — cry, laugh or wave! I’ve visited the city many times, but this one will always remain with me,” says Rohit Bose Roy.
The actor was in Mandi House recently for his horror play Ovee, and when we caught up with him during the trip he candidly opened up about his memories in Delhi.
Rohit reveals that whenever he’s in the Capital, he cannot miss visiting Moolchand Parantha. “It’s like whenever I come to Delhi, toh main ek bar wahan matha tekne zaroor jata hoon. Once I got off my car to have paranthas there, and it became impossible to manage the crowd. So, now I go and
sit in the car and have the food,” he
says. The 50-year-old actor, who did the popular TV show Des Main Nikla Hoga Chand and films like Shootout at Lokhandwala (2007) and Kaabil (2017) is happy to dabble in all four mediums — TV, films, web and theatre now. “Despite being a bad actor, I was a huge star in my initial days,” admits Rohit. And now, though he feels he has mastered the game, not many good roles come his way.
“I had initially said no to Kaabil because I didn’t want to play a rapist having a daughter in the house. The film happened, turned out to be a success, but even after a year, I still had no work. I don’t regret it because now I’m everywhere!” he says.
Rohit credits theatre for his growth as an actor. “The stamp of a real actor is when you have been part of a theatre; it is the biggest challenge for an actor. In film, half the job is done by your team. But, in theatre, everything depends on you and your co-actors. When I did my first play, Unfaithfully Yours (with actor Mona Singh), it was after 10-12 years of being in the industry. It’s a lot of hard work but at the same time a satisfying medium for an actor,” he says.
So, does he prepare differently when coming to the Capital? Rohit replies, “In Delhi, when somebody like me (known as a film and television actor) comes to perform, people expect a certain level of performance. So, when I come to perform here, I also bring the flavours of Mumbai and India.”