I am a Finicky Actor, Says Ronit Roy on His Nomination for Hostages

In a career spanning almost two decades, Ronit Roy has done some of the most diverse shows and films, and delivered even more memorable characters.

From impressing the viewers with his ruthless yet suave middle aged business tycoon in Kasautii Zindagii Kay to receiving critical acclaim for his turn as a strict father in Udaan and finally establishing himself as the go-to actor for doing complexed and layered roles with 2 States, Boss, Kaabil and many more films, Roy has proven himself to be an incredibly versatile actor.

And, if there was ever any doubt as to the strength of Roy's acting capabilities and appeal, it was thoroughly answered with his recent outing Hostages, a Hotstar special, for which he's been nominated in the Best Actor (Drama) category at the second edition of iReel Awards, an initiative by News18 to honour the individuals who have brought in a revolution in the web space.

In Hostages, Roy plays Prithvi Singh, Superintendent of Police (SP) who not only has a hostage situation to deal with, but also his own inner struggles. Roy's intense performance received overwhelmingly positive response from the viewers and the show got renewed for the second season.

"I work very hard on my characters. I do a lot of homework. I'm a very finicky actor. I believe that if somebody has put their trust in me, I must deliver more than they expect from me. That's always been my priority. Even for myself as an actor I try and set the bar higher every time I do a new project. It may or may not be successful every time but I always try.

"With Prithvi, there were a lot of challenges because it was originally done by an Israeli actor in the Israeli version of Hostages. Prithvi is compared to a coconut-- hard exterior, soft interior. Now these roles are very difficult do because the Israeli actor had a baby face, blue eyes and brown hair. So, we had to work a lot on the face. My face is not soft anymore (laughs)."

Hostages has been helmed by veteran director Sudhir Mishra, who has critically-acclaimed films like Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, Dharavi and Chameli to his credit.

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"There was a little bit of nervousness working with Sudhir sir for the first time. While working with such a senior director, you have to watch your words and behaviour. I think I still managed to irritate him (laughs). I'm not a very serious person but you have to be kind of serious on the sets all the time because you're working with such a senior director," Roy said on his experience working with Mishra.

On receiving the Best Actor nomination at the iReel Awards, Roy said, "It's a great honour for me. Whether I win or not but just being on that list along with my fellow nominees, is an absolute honour. All of us work very hard and I'm thankful that News18 took this initiative. Everybody wants to make money because eventually it's life but beyond that what an actor looks for eventually is appreciation and applause, and that's what News18 is giving us.

You can vote here: News18 iReel Awards 2019/Voting