When Ronit Roy Rejected Oscar-Winning Hollywood Film For Karan Johar's SOTY: 'Refused To Release Me'

Ronit Roy has been a part of the Indian entertainment industry for decades and has established himself as a solid actor. As such, Hollywood Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow wanted to cast him in her film, Zero Dark Thirty. However, Ronit had to refuse the offer since his dates were locked by Karan Johar for Student of the Year. When Ronit asked Karan’s team to adjust his dates, his request was denied.

Kapil Sharma had asked Ronit about this incident when he appeared on the comedian’s show to promote Shehzaada with Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon and Rajpal Yadav. Ronit said, “Yes, I was selected for the film Zero Dark Thirty, without any auditions. They told me the director Kathryn Bigelow had seen my work and wanted to cast me. I was shocked that an Oscar-winning director had selected me for her film.”

He added, “But then, their films are scheduled and Karan Johar had all my dates. I asked them to shift dates, as this was a lifetime opportunity for me – to work with an Oscar-winning director in a Hollywood film. But they refused, not Karan, but they (the people working with him) refused to release me and refused to cancel my dates for Student of the Year. So I had to refuse. And, then when I called up Karan a week ahead of the Student of the Year shooting, asking when the shoot begins, he told me they were not shooting on schedule. So, that was the biggest bummer. I could not take up that offer and even they (Karan’s film) did not happen on time.”

Kriti Sanon said that this is the problem with being “ethical” in the industry. Kartik Aaryan then quipped, “Issi liye main unethical rehta hoon”. This left everyone in splits.

In a 2013 PTI interview, Ronit said he regrets not doing the film. “I was offered a very interesting role in Zero Dark Thirty. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do it due to problems with the date. I did see the film, and I do regret not being part of it. I was shooting for Karan Johar’s Student of the Year, and I was looking to work with him and couldn’t let go of this opportunity. We were shooting in Thailand for the film, and there was no way I could manage my dates for Zero Dark Thirty,” he said.