Rannvijay Singha on quitting Roadies, Splitsvilla: ‘I don’t regret my choices’

 

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He says being directed by filmmaker Nagesh Kukunoor was an opportunity that he couldn’t pass; they earlier collaborated in Mod (2011). “The fact that Nagesh Kukunoor is directing it is just awesome. I once did a movie with him, my first as a solo lead, called Mod. Since then Nagesh sir and I have been trying to do different things but we have stayed close. I saw City of Dreams seasons 1 and 2 because it is Nagesh sir’s show,” shares the 40-year-old actor.

Rannvijay plays the character of a journalist in the show. “My character is amazing and unique. In a democracy, the communication between the people, political parties and their agendas is through the media. Now in the third season of the show, when the media has an agenda of their own then it makes things a little complicated and that’s what my character is like.”

 

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When asked why his acting career never took off even after being a part of big banner films, Rannvijay says it was out of choice. Speaking about working with actors like Salman Khan, Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, he says, “London Dreams and Action Replay were unbelievable experiences. I was 23-year-old and in London shooting for 45 days with Salman Bhai and Ajay sir. After that I did Action Replay with the same director, Vipul Shah. At the time, he told me and Aditya Roy Kapoor that we had done a good job and mazza aa gaya. He said he now had another film with better and bigger roles for us. you guys, and that we must do it, so we did it. Aditya was playing Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai’s son and I am fighting Akshay for Aishwarya Rai. I was shooting and my friends from school and college would call and ask me ‘kya kar raha hai’. I would say now I’m going to shoot a scene with Aishwarya Rai or I am sitting with Om Puri sir. My friends couldn’t believe it, it was all unreal and I just went with the flow. Then I did an adventure series with Vipul Shah again, three Punjabi films, a show called Kaushiki and its spin-off, a Netflix show Mismatched season 2, so I did a bit of acting here and there. However, as I have a line of work which is not just acting, I do hosting and other things, so I am not doing every role that comes my way.”

Rannvijay had been the face of Roadies for years before he quit the reality adventure show last year and Sonu Sood replaced him. When asked if he misses being a part of TV reality shows like Roadies and Splitsvilla, he promptly says, “No.”

“I miss the crew a lot, I miss the time I spent with them. We used to have so much fun — travel together, eat together and have fun together. Do I miss doing it? No, though I used to enjoy doing it. I miss it of course, but I don’t regret my choices. If I don’t make my choices then I don’t do new and different things, I don’t make new friends with new crews, explore new platforms, ultimately I don’t give myself an opportunity to grow. But I do miss them, they have been a part of my life for so long.”

 

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When asked whether drama and emotional manipulation in reality shows devalued them, he says, “People should be free to make their show. According to me, even if the biggest person in the entertainment industry doesn’t make something tomorrow, it doesn’t change our life. But if a guy digs up a road in front of your house, it affects your life. Those are real issues. If somebody is making a reality show and giving the kind of content that the consumer wants then that’s the job or a service that person is providing, and if someone wants to make something new then that’s also up to them. That’s the beauty of this profession.”