October 10, 2007: Sealed with a kiss

Sapana Patil Poojary

Wednesday, October 10, 2007 23:59 IST

Neelam Roy reveals the surprises that she has planned for hubby Ronit ROY’s birthday celebrations

It’s Big B’s birthday today and likewise it’s also the birthday of the so called ”Big B of small screen“ Ronit Roy. Ronit completes 43 years today.

Quiz what surprise his wife Neelam has planned for him and she says, ”Whenever I attempt at giving him a surprise, he ends up giving me one. But this time, I hope I am successful. A friend of his, Puneet is coming to Mumbai to meet him especially on this day since they haven’t met for a long time. I hope this surprises him enough.“

What about little Aador? ”Oh! She wants to gift him balloons and toys! I am helping her with that. She should not feel her father was not gifted anything from her wish list,“ she smiles.

Neelam adds, ”Ronit’s birthday marks the beginning of the festive season. His birthday is followed by Navratri, Dussehra and then Diwali. So every year we begin our celebrations with his birthday by lighting up our entire house and making beautiful floral arrangements.“

Talking about their other plans for their big day, Neelam says, ”When we were not married, Ronit and I would spend his birthday in Goa. It would be a long affair. But now it won’t be possible because today, he is rehearsing for ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’ (Sony).“

Lastly, ask her what she thinks about Ronit sharing his birthday with that of Amitabh Bachchan and she says, ”We are super excited about that. But even if his birthday had fallen on any other day, it would still be a big day for us.“

October 11, 2007: Ronit turns a year older

Ronit Roy turns a year older

Television’s big B Ronit Roy is celebrating his birthday today (October 11). As Ronit was not available for comment, we spoke to his wife Neelam who is expecting her second baby.

She reveals, ”We had decided to meet for lunch but it seems that it is not happening so now we have changed our plans and are going out for dinner. In the morning he went for rehearsals of Jhalak and then he will go for his shoot.“

How does he usually celebrate his birthday? ”With close friends and then we also go out. However, this year he is getting less time so we have decided to celebrate it with the family only. Rohit and Mansi may also join us for dinner. Also, he is not so keen this time because his mum is not here. He misses her on every special day.“

Neelam is hoping that Ronit returns early from shooting today. ”After the start of Jhalak, has been coming home at 1-2 am after the rehearsals. But today I have asked him to bunk his night rehearsals. He has given me many excuses that tomorrow there are technical rehearsals and day after the shoot for Jhalak but let’s see.“

Any surprise gift? ”I am expecting a second baby, so that is biggest gift I can give him. Also, my birthday is coming next month so it will be like return gift for my family,“ she says cheerfully.

Ronit is presently doing Jhalak Dhikhlajaa and two daily shows.

October 11, 2007: Ronit's big day

Ronit’s big day

Happy days: Ronit Roy with Neelam and Aador

It may be Amitabh Bachchan’s birthday today (October 11), but the small screen’s Big B (as Ronit Roy is referred to in TVland) will also join in the celebration. In fact, the birthday boy celebrated his big day on the sets of Sony’s Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa along with wife Neelam (who is expecting baby No 2) and daughter Aador.

Mini Mathur, younger brother Rohit Roy and wife Manasi Joshi and choreographer Nicole Alvares also joined in the merry-making.

October 25, 2007: Ronit Roy is dad again

Ronit Roy (Mihir of Kyunki) has become a dad for the second time. His wife Neelam gave birth to a baby boy at the Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai on Thursday evening. The baby weights 3.2 kgs.

An overjoyed Ronit told us, ”It feels great to be a father for the second time. It is the best Diwali gift I could have got. I was a bit tense in the afternoon when I brought her to the hospital but now I am relaxed and will have a nice, peaceful sleep. No shooting today. I will be in the hospital all night to look after Neelam. Mansi is also there and Rohit will also join us.“

Have you thought about a name for him? ”I have thought about it but I can’t tell you right now. We will discuss it with the family and take a final call.“

Ronit’s first child is a two-year-old daughter Aador.

October 30, 2007: "I have broken all my limits"- Ronit

”I’ve broken my physical and mental limits with Jhalak,“ says Ronit Roy who has taken everyone by surprise with his agile dancing skills on Sony’s Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. A chat with television’s most popular star where he talks about reasons for taking up the show and incorporating Jhalak into his already impossibly busy work schedule:

Your performances in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa have been unanimously praised. It was a pleasant surprise for viewers to see TV’s Rishab Bajaj shake a leg. Were you also surprised to discover that you have a talent for dancing?

It feels good to know that I can actually dance. Doing a song in a film, which is shot in small cuts over a number of days and doing it at a stretch with no retakes are two absolutely different things. I never had a doubt in my mind about my dancing abilities as I feel it’s possible to do anything if you put your mind to it. As for my viewers, who I call my extended family, it’s for them that I chose to do Jhalak. I took it as a chance to entertain them in a way different from what I’ve done so far. And I am extremely happy that they’ve accepted this aspect of me. ”I’ve broken my physical and mental limits with Jhalak,“ says Ronit Roy who has taken everyone by surprise with his agile dancing skills on Sony’s Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. A chat with television’s most popular star where he talks about reasons for taking up the show and incorporating Jhalak into his already impossibly busy work schedule:

Your performances in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa have been unanimously praised. It was a pleasant surprise for viewers to see TV’s Rishab Bajaj shake a leg. Were you also surprised to discover that you have a talent for dancing?

It feels good to know that I can actually dance. Doing a song in a film, which is shot in small cuts over a number of days and doing it at a stretch with no retakes are two absolutely different things. I never had a doubt in my mind about my dancing abilities as I feel it’s possible to do anything if you put your mind to it. As for my viewers, who I call my extended family, it’s for them that I chose to do Jhalak. I took it as a chance to entertain them in a way different from what I’ve done so far. And I am extremely happy that they’ve accepted this aspect of me.

What is the most challenging aspect of giving weekly performances on Jhalak?

The most arduous task, to start with, is to learn the different dance forms and mould the body to get habituated to the finer points of that particular form. Which means, that in the process, you discover muscles in various parts of your body that you didn’t even know existed! From then on, it’s the choice of song to match the form of dance, thinking of a concept, editing the soundtrack, dubbing, designing the look, setting choreography, rehearsing choreography, re-changing choreography. It’s a lot of work considering that a twelve-hour work day, 30 days a month, already existed for me when I took up Jhalak. This means that I’m now on an eighteen-hour work day. It promises to get more gruelling and challenging as the weeks go by.

What made you take up Jhalak? Were there any moments of apprehension before saying yes?

Like I said, it was a way of presenting myself differently in a different orbit; firstly for my audience, and secondly to prove to myself whether I still had it in me. Once I decided to do it, there was never a second thought. In hindsight, it was a good decision because I’ve broken my physical and mental limits and gone beyond. Never in my life have I had abs, now I do!

Who is your personal favourite celebrity dancer on the show?

They are all very nice people and I like them all. I don’t really have a particular favourite.

A few episodes back saw your wife and daughter cheer you in the greenroom? What was the experience like?

It was exhilarating! My family means everything to me, so to have them there is always a treat.

Not many know that you got your break in television in 1996, in a serial called Samjhota with Bhagyashree on Doordarshan. Can you recall those times?

It’s in the past and so long back that I really do not remember much about it, except that I did it for a friend Aeesh Dev and that show was a silver lining in my financial dark cloud.

What would you consider the most important turning point of your career?

Balaji Telefilms and Rishab Bajaj.

You once said that `TV has more scope for creativity than films’. But today TV seems to be stuck in a rut with similar family soaps and it is films that are getting experimental by the day…

A saying that I always remember is ”great people don’t do different things they do things differently“. Hope that answers your question.

Your debut film was Jaan Tere Naam that did fairly well, but you found your calling in television. Can we hope to see you in a film anytime soon?

Well, we’ll see. I’ve no inclination to chase films. If anything good happens, it happens; if it doesn’t, I’m not going to loose any sleep over it.

What are your future professional plans?

Let’s see, I never plan my life. I like life to happen to me.

Any message for your fans?

Yes, to my fans and my audience, a big thank you for all your love and good wishes. I love you too

November 1, 2007: Abhi na jaa!

By: Shaheen Parkar

November 1, 2007

Dance to my tunes: Ronit Roy with Nicole Alvares

Ronit Roy’s Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa choreographer Nicole Alvares is experiencing a peculiar problem. It is learnt that an adamant Ronit is refusing to let her go though she is advised bed-rest due to internal bleeding. Extensive damage to her calves and the hectic rehearsals have taken a toll on her health.

Pushing hard

Says the onlooker, ”The producers of the show (Synergy Adlabs) gave Ronit the option of having another choreographer but he insisted on Nicole. They told him that Nicole would choreograph but not be his dancing partner. He is pushing her too far. A few days back, Nicole’s condition worsened and she was in pain; even her father voiced his concern.“

It is learnt that Nicole had torn the tendon in her calves, which had resulted in a clot and lack of rest resulted in internal bleeding.

According to a source, ”At this stage, Nicole does not want to upset Ronit. She lets him have the upper hand because he’s a big telly star. She hardly speaks when Ronit is around, she has to put a facade on.“

Nicole, on the other hand, prefers to be diplomatic. She says, ”I don’t know where all this buzz is emanating from. I did have problems with the injury but now things are okay and I am on the road to recovery.“

When we checked with Ronit, the star of Kasautii and Kyunki says, ”It is not my insistence. It is a formatted show and it has to follow the procedures. In fact, as it was the rumba round this week, I took care that Nicole avoided putting her feet on the ground. Almost throughout the dance I have lifted her so that her feet are rested.“

Carter Road mishap

Incidentally, Nicole, who is the manager at Sandip Soparrkar’s dance academy, was chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s choreographer in the last season of Jhalak. She was also in the news during Alistair Pereira’s Carter Road incident. Nicole was rumoured to be Alistar’s girlfriend. When asked about Alistair she says, ”I don’t want to look back at what has happened. I prefer to look ahead. I am only 20 and right now, apart from dance, I want to complete my graduation.“

November 28, 2007: Why Ronit didn't beg for votes?

Refuting being arrogant, the ousted ‘Jhalak’ participant says that he couldn’t fold his hands in front of viewers

On his elimination from ‘Jhalak’

”I have no regrets or complaints. I went out at the right time. For me, ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’ (Sony) was never a competition. It was all about dancing and having a ball. The show gave me the confidence to face a crowd and removed my stage fright.“

On doing a reality show

”One thing I learnt about reality shows is that you hand over the control of your life to the makers. Things were put together and shown in a different light. I am open to other reality shows but not something like ‘Big Boss’ because I can’t live away from my family for three months. I am a complete family man.“

On his alleged arrogance

”People thought that I was being cocky by refusing to ask for votes. But I was at the show to dance and entertain. If the audience wanted to vote, they would have done so even without my asking for it. Honestly, I cannot get myself to fold my hands and ask for votes. Also, I can’t form forced friendships. I could feel negative vibrations. People were talking behind my back. So I preferred to keep to myself.“

On his new baby

”Finally, I can give time to my wife Neelam, my daughter Adoor and the new arrival Agasthya. It was getting stressful being up from 6.30 am to 11.30 pm. In the midst of all this chaos, my baby too came in. Aador is now getting used to her little brother after the initial confusion and jealousy.“

November 28, 2007: "I will continue to dance"- Ronit

Contestants who are eliminated in a show tend to to hit out the channel and fellow contenders.

But Ronit Roy isn’t doing any of it after his elimination from Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa .

Though people in the industry have questioned about his ouster, wondering if there’s some politics behind his elimination, the actor himself chooses to stay away from it.

But one thing’s for sure he isn’t giving up dancing as yet. ”I have promised Shaimak (Davar) that I won’t give up on dancing, so I am going to continue with it,“ he smiles. But prod him about his experience on Jhalak and he says, ”There are so many thoughts, it can’t be put into a nutshell. I learnt what to do and what not to do. By which I mean, I learnt to embrace positive vibes and get over the negative ones. I faced a lot of realities. Jhalak has been one learning experience.“

About dancing, he says, ”We are planning a lot of things, but they are at a very preliminary stage. But I definitely intend to carry on dancing. I have taken a one-week break, but after that I’ll be back to learning dance.“

People have also been talking about Ronit looking extremely fit these days. ”The fitness thing didn’t happen because of Jhalak. In the beginning of the year, I took things easy and then I realised that I have to take myself seriously. That’s when I started working on myself. Of course, with dancing you tend to push your body further, my intention was just to be fit,“ he says.

So, how does it feel when women call him hot? ”It feels good. You feel like your hardwork is being appreciated,“ he says. Ask him how he manages in the women-dominated industry and he says, ”That’s something I never have to worry about. I got roles which had some meat to it. I got my due. I have no complaints,“ he smiles.

Ronit’s also has more time for his family now. ”I used to have a very hectic schedule and every year I would tell my wife ‘one more year’. But now that my kids are growing there are lots of things that my wife has to handle. So I make sure that I take Sundays off and spend time with my family,“ he says. So, does less work on TV mean some film roles as well? ”Definitely, films are on the cards, but again things are still at a very nascent stage. All I can say is that hopefully the new year will have a lot of exciting things in store for me,“ he concludes.

December 2, 2007: Ronit Roy out now

Ronit Roy, with his charming ways, was touted as one of the top contenders for the title as the winner of ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa – Dancing with the Stars’.

Last Saturday, he danced well, looked good, and remained one of the most popular stars on the show. He was naturally stunned when he was eliminated.

Putting up a brave front, Ronit said, ”The show gave me an opportunity to do something new and also gave a new perspective to life itself. It has helped me look at options other than acting.

I have grown to love dancing and have promised Shiamak Davar not to give it up.“

And what about the elimination? ”I have been very relaxed about the competition. I was not looking to win the title. I have never been part of any controversy but unfortunately I was made the target of attack,“ he said with a smile.

The two people who will miss him the most are his brother, Ronit Roy, who is hosting the show, and Nicole, Ronit’s dance partner and choreographer.

”I am going to miss seeing his face every morning, I have learnt a lot from him. He is a wonderful person and in many ways like Sanjeev Kapoor (her partner in Jhalak…last season),“ says Nicole, adding, ”Both have the same positive attitude, the same fighting spirit and both believe that ‘impossible’ is a word in the dictionary for those who haven’t tried!“

Well, now you know it does.

December 11, 2007: Ronit on the big screen

Ronit Roy will follow younger brother Rohit Roy on the big screen.

However he won’t be quitting Tv to get into films. Now popular as Mr Bajaj of kasauti Zindagi kay and Mihir Virani of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi, Ronit isn’t in any hurry to give up the serials. He’ll be seen in Sanjay Gupta’s arthouse film Pankh that also stars Bipasha Basu.

The actor recently changed his working schedule to make more time for family as well. Well, Ronit sure can teach other actors a thing or two about time Management. Looks like Ronit wants the best of both worlds.

December 28, 2007: "I know how people in chawls live"- Ronit

The latest twist in Kyunki will see the whole Virani family move to a chawl.

For authenticity purpose, some from the cast like Gautami Kapoor and Shilpa Saklani are planning to go to Ahmedabad to learn how a typical Gujarati family lives in chawls.

But when we asked Ronit Roy (Mihir) what kind of research work he is doing, he promptly replied, ”What research? I know how people in chawls live. It’s just acting and by the way I have seen chawl life very closely as for some 5-6 years I used to stay in one of Mumbai’s chawls in the suburbs. That’s why it is going to be nothing new for me.“

Quizzed about when Mihir will be back from jail, Ronit quips, ”I’m not the writer. Ekta or a member from the creative team will decide that. But personally I feel Mihir will be back as he has to.“

As per the track, the Virani family will be cheated by Trupti (Suvarna Jha) which will make them financially unsound and force the family to stay in a chawl.

Seems like there are struggling times ahead for the Viranis in the New Year.

# Dhanashri Kulkarni, Hill Road Media

# Friday, December 28, 2007

December 29, 2007: Talking point: Ronit Roy

Now that you’ve done your bit as Mihir Virani in Kyunki, any plans of moving out of the serial?

There is no reason for me to move out. I have a commitment with them and I will stick with them till the serial continues or till they want me to be in it.

How was your experience at Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa?

I have learnt a lot of life’s philosophies there. Considering it was a reality show with so many other television stars, there was a lot of negativity and participating in it has made me emotionally and mentally stronger. Firstly, I have come out of stage-fright and have learnt to be calm in stressful times. I even got some technical knowledge on production. I could really spend a lot of time with my brother; we used to have lunch together. He did a very good job as a host.

You ever thought of being eliminated that early.

Who said that I was eliminated early? I stayed till round seven and six people had already gone before me. More than winning, participation was more important for me as my core competency is acting.

Your last Bollywood film was Jaan Tere Naam in 1992, are there other films coming your way?

There are talks but they’re all in a very premature stage.

What are your forthcoming projects?

There are offers for hosting reality shows, acting in some more serials next year. But it’s still too early to talk about them.