‘SMRITI AS A PERSON IS UNSTOPPABLE’
Actor Ronit Roy says he won’t be surprised to see former co-star Smriti Irani at an even higher post
Not many know that actor Ronit Roy had started his showbiz career not through television but films. It was only after a few years that he stepped into TV, and became a part of iconic shows such as Kasautii Zindagii Kay and Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi. The latter was also the longest running Indian show at one point, and made both Ronit and co-star Smriti Irani overnight stars. Smriti later quit acting and joined politics, and is currently a Union cabinet minister.
On how has their equation changed over the years, Ronit says, “She has always called me ‘dada’ (brother), and is like my little sister. I am extremely happy she has been so successful in life, shifting from what she was doing… she was the most successful, iconic character TV has ever seen, and a humongous success. I am the kind of person who feels extremely good when I see success around me.”
Their chats, Ronit adds, reveal the pressure Smriti, as an active politician, has to take. “During our informal talks, I got to know how hard she is working. I have seen her work on TV for such long hours. She used to be among the first ones to arrive, and last ones to leave. I have got to know she is working even harder now. There you go, talking about pressures! Success doesn’t come easy, you have got to do your fair share, and she is doing it. She as a person is unstoppable. I would not be surprised at all if we saw her at a higher post in the coming years,” says Ronit.
With the kind of admiration Ronit has for Smriti, one is bound to ask: Is he, too, keen on joining politics at some point? “I won’t do that, I am too busy with my craft. I have just begun my journey as an actor. It’s taken me 30 years to understand my craft and who I am. Mine is a very serious job. On-screen, I am telling a lie, it’s not who I am, and everybody needs to believe that! It’s not an easy job, and it has taken me all these years to understand this. I don’t have the bent of mind to do anything else other than my craft,” he says.