Fans once covered actor's car in lipstick marks. Fame and home vanished soon and he had to live in that same car

He burst onto the silver screen with the 1992 romantic drama 'Jaan Tere Naam.' Although his debut film was a runaway hit, Ronit Roy’s success story in Bollywood was sadly very short and fleeting. What followed the stratospheric success was 9 years of almost no work, which made him resort to drinking.

In an interview with Lehren Retro, the ‘Udaan’ star recalled how he was working as an editor at Subhash Ghai’s production company Mukta Arts when director Deepak Balraj Vij offered him the role of leading man for his next movie if he could lose weight in the next 3 months.

“For the next three months, I lived on chicken soup and ran for 15-16 kilometres every day,” he reminisced.


‘Jaan Tere Naam’ marked the debut of both Roy and his leading lady, Farheen. The movie was an instant hit with the masses.

Recalling his brief but glorious period of success in Bollywood post 'Jaan Tere Naam,' the actor revealed, “I found my car covered in lipstick from fans…. Felt like Rajesh Khanna.”

However, success proved to be fleeting. Despite the phenomenal box-office performance of his debut film, Roy struggled to find work. The actor said that to some extent, his failure resulted from his poor work ethic and addiction to alcohol.

Revealing his struggles with alcohol addiction, he said that although he was never late on the set, he often turned up incoherent and disheveled, feeling dizzy and being half-hearted in his job.

“I didn’t hone or work on myself. If I am not a superstar today, it is because of my mistakes. What I am doing now, I should have done then. Success is not what you have; it’s what you do with what you have…”

The actor also revealed the 9-year struggling phase (in which he had 14 unreleased movies) left him financially bankrupt. He could not afford to pay rent and was living in his car.

“I was living in a car. I had a big box, a suitcase, and all my clothes were in it. It was in the boot of my car. I had no money to pay rent…” he reminisced.

He also recalled how he used to brush his teeth and freshen up in public lavatories before a shoot.

A New Beginning

Roy, who later enjoyed a thriving career as a leading man on the small screen, called TV a “blessing.”

“It came when I was starving, had no work, and had nothing,” he said.

Although he started his career with Balaji Telefilms in 2000, it was not until 2002 that his stars started to rise. Roy became an overnight star with two roles—the antagonist Mr. Bajaj, a middle-aged business tycoon in ‘Kasautii Zindagii Kay,’ and Mihir Virani in ‘Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.’

The resounding success of these shows landed him pivotal roles in other sitcoms such as Kehna Hai Kuch Mujhko, Qayamat, Kasam Se, Bandini, etc.

Addressing his struggle with alcohol addiction, Roy revealed he has mostly given up drinking and also eating meat, although he enjoys a glass of wine with his wife, Neelam, now and then.

As per a Republic World report, Ronit Roy’s net worth today is almost a whopping Rs 100 crore (Rs 99 crore). Most of it comes from his flourishing career on TV and investments, as well as his successful security agency, Ace Security and Protection, which provides protection to high-profile people.