DETACHED FROM SHOWBIZ BECAUSE MORONS WERE OFFERING ME WORK
Rahul Roy, who became an overnight sensation after his debut movie, vanished from the scene. Find out why
TI won’t say that I was random in the way that I did my work... Every aspect of my journey has been good. I never had to beg for work, and that remains true even today. RAHUL ROY, Actor
he year was 1990 and the blockbuster was Aashiqui and lead actor Rahul Roy became a household name. But he failed to recreate that same magic after that one film, which ultimately led him to take a hiatus from Bollywood. “The people who were coming to me with roles at that time were morons because of the way they wanted to do everything. They were like ‘If you don’t do it, we will go to someone else’,” confesses Roy, who was in news last year, after he suffered a brain stroke while he was shooting for a web show in Kargil.
He continues, “And there was a phase in my career, where I was doing anything and everything. Soon, I realised that it is better to let go of the work, and let them (makers) work jiske saath unko karna hai. I will do what I want to do (not with any pressure), and I told them to move on. Also, I didn’t want to just take a project, and then later on crib about it yeh hona tha but woh hogaya.”
After the initial success, Roy was seen in Junoon (1992), Dilwale Kabhi Na Hare (1992) and Gumrah (1993). He also won the first season of reality show, Bigg Boss ,in 2007. Looking back at his career, the 53-year-old shares, “I won’t say that I was random in the way that I did my work. But I feel that there were some projects, which I shouldn’t have done.”
Roy moved to Australia with his now-estranged wife, Rajlaxmi Khanvilkar during his sabbatical in the early 2000s. It was only in 2005 when he started to reappear through special appearances. He says, “Every aspect of my journey has been good. I never had to beg for work in front of anyone, and that remains true even today.”
At the moment, Roy is staying in Mumbai with his daughter, sister and brotherin-law. And he credits them for putting him back on the road to a healthy life after his brain stroke.
Roy shares, “I don’t want to be in a race or any rush. Ab mere hisab se kaam hona chahiye, since I am a brain stroke patient. And this is what I have been telling to people who are approaching me for work. It is difficult to make them understand, but it is okay. People can’t just expect me to bounce back, so I will do work only at my own pace.”
Roy, who is planning to write a book on his life, in the end, says, “Life has got a new meaning. Aur bhi bahut cheezein karni hai mujhe.”