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Indian Express

Ronit Roy gave up alcohol after being compared to Amitabh Bachchan: ‘People said that I was finished'

News, rumours and speculations all travel fast in the realm of Bollywood, and whether a piece of information is true or not, it can affect one's chances in the industry. Actor Ronit Roy, who has often talked about all that he endured during his early years in Bollywood, recently opened up about what all was going wrong for him on the personal front, including a battle with alcoholism. He shared how his habits proved to be a liability and what all transpired before he decided to get clean and focus on his health. While making an appearance on the Hindi Rush podcast, Ronit talked about how people in the industry talk and gossip and how it didn't take long before everyone was discussing his addiction. He said, 'I was doing TV in the late 90s and 2000s, and I was somehow getting by. When I did my first show with Balaji, several people were already talking about my alcoholism, and it was common knowledge in the industry. When something like that happens, people are very quick to say, 'He's finished.'' ALSO READ: Ronit Roy opens up about daughter studying in USA, says son Agasthya is 'too bhola' for Bollywood Ronit Roy also talked about starting his career with the production house Mukti Arts and how he missed out on a chance of working with Shah Rukh Khan in the Subhash Ghai film Pardes. While he lost the role to Apurva Agnihotri, Ronit doesn't believe that it happened because of his personal habits. 'Mukta Arts was like my home, and I had started my career as an assistant over there. When they started making Pardes, I heard through several people that I was going to get the role. Everyone there was aware of the fact that I wanted to be an actor, and when you tell an aspiring actor that he has landed a role, he will believe it. But Subhash ji had never confirmed anything regarding my casting. So when the announcement happened, I asked him about the role, and he told me that he had already promised Apurva's father that he would launch him.' Ronit added that he doesn't have any qualms about losing that role and how it was Apurva's destiny that led him to that role. Ronit then talked about the times when he started making a name for himself in the television space and how people had started calling him the 'Amitabh Bachchan of television.' He admitted that the title came with 'immense pressure', but that helped him to kick his habits, as he did not want Big B to be associated with someone who isn't doing their work with 100% integrity. 'It was a huge thing for me to be compared with Amitabh Bachchan, and the positive pressure of that title forces you to adapt and change quickly. If you are following him, then you can't make mistakes that might reflect on him. I didn't want to give people the chance to write scathing headlines about the 'Amitabh Bachchan of television.'' Ronit Roy went on to say that even though he had done 'everything except drugs', the comparison with Bachchan was the turning point of his life, and he came out a much better and sorted individual on the other side.