Actor Ronit Roy became a television sensation, but it was 'Udaan' in 2010 that showcased his cinematic brilliance, earning him acclaim and leading to powerful roles in '2 States', 'Ugly', and 'Kaabil'.
Director Vikramaditya Motwane finally admitted that it was filmmaker Anurag Kashyap who had suggested they cast Ronit Roy. The director was unsure if Roy, coming from the TV domain, could bring the needed intensity to his film.
'That Ronit from television?'
In an interview with The Comment Section YouTube channel, Motwane shared how Ronit Roy’s casting was linked to actor Ram Kapoor. Motwane first cast another actor for the father's role and considered Roy for an uncle's part.
Motwane said, 'Ronit lived in Anurag's building at the time, and we had another actor for the father's role. Anurag, after bumping into Ronit in the elevator, asked me, 'Have you met Ronit?' I responded, 'That Ronit from TV shows? From Balaji series?' Anurag suggested, 'Meet him; he's quite interesting. We can possibly cast him as the uncle.'
Ronit was hesitant to play a father
Motwane later realized that Ronit had the ideal 'father-like vibes'. During pre-production, the actor slated for the father role requested to push back the shoot. Motwane feared losing crew members if they delayed. He then approached Roy to switch roles.
Motwane recounted, 'I approached Ronit and proposed the role change. He was like, 'What? The father's role? No, no, I can’t play a father.' It took us two days to convince him over drinks...'
Eventually, Ronit agreed, leaving the uncle role vacant, which led to Ram Kapoor’s casting. Both Ronit Roy and Ram Kapoor received acclaim for 'Udaan', and subsequently were offered compelling roles in other films. This year, Ronit has already graced the screens in 'Yoddha' and 'Bade Miyan Chote Miyan'.
