Bollywood actor, Rahul Roy rose to fame with his blockbuster movie, Aashiqui, in 1990. In the Mahesh Bhatt’s directorial, which turned out to be the turning point in his life, Rahul was paired with the newcomer, Anu Aggarwal. The duo made it to the chartbusters with their superhit jodi.
Not just this, the actor captivated the hearts of the entire nation with his looks and charismatic personality in just one film. He rose to fame so much that he was counted in the list of legendary stars, even before the three Khans of Bollywood. Rahul Roy achieved all this when he was just 24 years old. However, it seems destiny had some other plans, as he quickly lost his stardom in just a few years. The actor soon plunged to the list of flop actors as he never gave a hit after Aashiqui and lost all his money.
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Rahul Roy was paired alongside Anu Aggarwal, who was a newcomer at the time. Directed and produced by Mahesh Bhatt, the movie became a blockbuster and broke all records. The film also featured actor, Deepak Tijori, in a pivotal role. Apart from the cast, the audience loved the soundtracks, which they played in a loop on cassettes, and watched the film whenever it was broadcasted on the television.
The songs include Dheere Dheere, Nazar Ke Saamne, Bas Ek Sanam Chaahiye, and Jaane Jigar Jaaneman. The film’s music album sold 20 million units and thus became the highest-selling album at that time. Even today, the craze for the movie, the actor, Rahul Roy, and the songs can be seen in the old and millennial generations.
Before Aashiqui, Rahul Roy was not a prominent actor. Although the audience appreciated his acting in the films, Majhdhaar, Dilwale Kabhi Na Hare, Pyar Ka Saaya, Junoon, and Jaanam, he did not achieve much fame and success. However, when Aashiqui changed his life, he was offered several roles, but the films did not do well on the big screens.
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With the immense popularity and success of the film, Aashiqui, Rahul Roy became the most famous star. Not only women, but even men had a sense of favouritism towards the actor. Overnight, Rahul Roy became a much bigger star than the three Khans of Bollywood, who ruled the 90s. During that time, the actor didn’t even have bodyguards, and was overjoyed at the love and cheers he received wherever he went.
In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Rahul Roy once mentioned how his downfall started just as fast as he rose to fame. He noted that he got several offers after his blockbuster film completed six months, so he signed 47 films in 11 days. These films include Ghazab Tamasha, Sapne Sajan Ke, Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayee, Gumrah, Naseeb, Achanak, and the list goes on.
However, the luck ran out fast for Rahul Roy, as none of the 47 films that he signed went well at the box office. One factor for these films’ failure might be that the audience expected something gigantic and glamorous, just like Aashiqui. When the roles played by the actor in these films did not match the audience’s expectations, they went to the flop charts.
After his films received failure in the industry, Rahul Roy appeared in the first season of the reality television show, Big Boss. At that time, the show was not hosted by Salman Khan but by Arshad Warsi and was aired on Sony TV. Although the show is best known for stirring controversies among the contestants, Rahul Roy remained mum throughout the show.
Rahul once again made it to the headlines in 2006 with his stint in the show, which aired for 86 days, from November 2006 to January 2007. During the show, instead of indulging in the catfight and the controversies, Rahul maintained his dignity by remaining silent, and that is how he won the first season of Big Boss.
Rahul is the son of Deepak Roy, a businessman, and Indira Roy, a writer for UNICEF magazine. He has a brother, Romeer, and his maternal uncle, Cory Walia, is a prominent personality in the fashion world. Rahul tied the knot with Rajlakshmi Khanvilkar in 2000, a fashion model who was earlier married to Samir Soni. However, things went south, and the couple divorced each other in 2014.
Rahul Roy’s life has not exactly been a bed of roses. Apart from facing failure in his acting game, he suffered from a heart attack and a brain stroke in 2020. He went through angiography of the brain and heart and underwent treatment for many weeks. At this challenging time, he even lost all money on his medical expenses, and Salman Khan paid the remaining few bills. Although the latter kept this a secret from the media, Rahul disclosed the same during the interview with Bollywood Hungama.
Rahul made his comeback in 2023 with the film, Agra, which was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2023. The movie is still awaiting its Indian theatrical release.
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