Superstar Ronit Roy, who is playing the role of a police officer in the upcoming crime thriller Hostages by Applause Entertainment on Hotstar, believes that the series will be the biggest hit of 2019 in the digital space
He starts, “First of all, Congratulations IWMBuzz! And you guys are soon coming up with a big party, so all the best. Please call me as well (laughs).”
Ronit continues, “Hostages is very special to me. There was a time in 2000 when I had no work and people said that Ronit Roy’s career is over. Then Ekta believed in me and gave me a project. The two most popular characters of my life and of the TV industry were showcased on Star. I 2017, when the web was getting exposed to the audience, the first project that I did was Kehne Ko Humsafar Hain for Balaji Telefilms. Now, Hostages is my first thriller. It is for Hotstar; it is produced by Applause Entertainment, headed by Sameer Nair and Deepak Sehgal, who were part of Star India at that time. So it is like life coming full circle. I am excited about this project.”
Talking about the series, he adds, “Hostages is an official adaptation of the internationally acclaimed series of the same name. I have watched the original show and I loved the casting that was done by the team. The actors were fantastic. I kept a few elements from the original role and added a few of mine. There is a lot of hard work put in by the entire team. The writing part and shooting portion were quite difficult. Hence, I am 100% sure that this show will be the biggest hit of 2019 in the digital space.”
Ask whether the web is overtaking TV, he shares, “TV has its own niche and web has a different kind of programming. TV shows are there on the web as well, so people who can’t watch their favorite shows on TV can watch them on the web. I think the rise of the digital space has also affected films. After a film releases, it comes on the web, but this doesn’t mean that cinema is not working. The audience has their own preferences but that doesn’t mean that with web coming in, TV will fade away.”
Commenting on the digital medium, he mentions, “It is a very good thing that there is a new platform that is bringing in new talent. There are a lot of platforms, which means there is a lot of talent coming in. People who were part of big budget movies but were not noticeable in a movie have become stars now. This is a very positive thing. I wish more web shows release soon.”
On an end note, he talks about his TV comeback. “A lot of fans wanted Adalat to be back on screen. I myself went to Sony TV to talk about it. However, there was no closure on the same. There might be no Adalat, but you can see KD Pathak coming back in a web show,” he signs off.
Good luck, Ronit!
