Ronit Roy says Raj Kaushal had called him for ‘important role’ in web series: ‘Shoot did not materialise’

Actor Ronit Roy has recalled getting a call from his close friend, late Raj Kaushal, filmmaker and husband of actor-television personality Mandira Bedi. Ronit said that Raj wanted him to play a ‘very important role’ in a web series, that of the ‘mastermind’.

Raj Kaushal, who directed movies like Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi and Shaadi Ka Laddoo, featuring his wife Mandira Bedi, died on Wednesday morning due to a heart attack at the age of 49. The couple has two children, son Vir and daughter Tara.

Speaking to a leading daily, Ronit Roy said, “He told me that he wanted me to play a very important role in the series and he would need me for a brief period though in the first part. Maybe he had a plan of inducting me in the second part largely. Then, Raj also told me that he wanted me to play the mastermind in the show whose face is unmasked at the end of the first part.” As per the daily, Raj had made the call to Ronit around mid-May.

On being asked if he shot for the show, Ronit said, “No, my shoot did not materialise. The makers, I think, were going back and forth on the modalities with Raj. And those days, we were also hit by the Tauktae cyclone toh woh reh gaya (it couldn’t happen).”

Many film personalities including Ashish Chowdhry, Onir, Rohit Roy, Neha Dhupia, Arshad Warsi, Divya Dutta, Vicky Kaushal and Hansal Mehta paid tribute to Raj. Ashish shared several pictures of himself with Raj and tweeted, “My guiding light,my happy quotient, my mollycoddler, is gone. My big brother who supported me fiercely like my sister Monica who I also lost, gone. Yet, he taught me well. To survive any storm. So I’ll do the same today. For him.Until then bro. Until we meet again (broken heart emoji) @rajkaushal1.”

Onir tweeted, “Gone too soon. We lost Film maker and Producer @rajkaushal1 this morning. Very Sad. He was one of the producers of my first film #MyBrotherNikhil. One of those few who believed in our vision and supported us. Prayers for his soul.”

Music director Sulaiman Merchant had told a leading daily that Raj had told Mandira Bedi that he was getting a heart attack, “Raj was feeling uneasy in the evening. Well, he took an antacid tablet. Raj told Mandira that he was getting a heart attack. Mandira acted swiftly and called Ashish Chowdhry, who rushed to their place. Mandira and Ashish put him in the car but he was losing consciousness. I think they drove off, taking him to the Lilavati Hospital if I’m not wrong. But in the next 5-10 minutes, they realised that he had no pulse. Before they reached the doctor, it was too late,” said Sulaiman.

Also Read | Priyanka Chopra’s fans spot never-before-seen tattoo on her arm as she reunites with her dogs in London. Watch

Raj started his career as a copywriter in 1989 and then worked as an assistant director with Mukul Anand. He eventually set up his own advertising-production company, Fuel, and went on to direct over 800 commercials. One of the last commercials that Raj directed was with actor Vicky Kaushal, according to news agency PTI.