Indian television has hit rock bottom, TRPs are dropping across the board: Ronit Roy

New Delhi: He became a household name after playing Mr Rishabh Bajaj on the 2001 show "Kasautii Zindagii Kay" and actor Ronit Roy believes it was a golden era of Indian television industry as more people used to enjoy daily soaps then.

The 51-year-old star says TV has now reached its worst possible stage which is why nothing seems to be working out for the audience - be it old show's hit plot or any writer's new experiments with characters.

"People have tried to do new programming on TV but it has not worked. May be, the time was not right or may be, it was not done correctly or the audience didn't understand the concept or they plainly rejected it because they wanted the old stuff," Ronit told PTI during a visit in New Delhi.

"Television has hit a rock bottom. Because neither the new work is being appreciated nor the old. Across the board, TRPs are dropping, which is signaling that now it is time for something new."

The star has been a part of the Indian TV industry for more than a decade now, having worked in hit shows like "Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi", "Adaalat", "Kasamh Se" and "Bandini".

According to Ronit, soon there will be a "massive transition" on the small screen, which will bring the much-needed changes on TV.

"There will be a pioneer, who will come with something new and that will work for sure and the rest will follow. It's just a waiting game now for that person to come, who is going to show us the path to follow to walk on. And that time is almost there," he said.

When asked if that excites him, the actor said, "I can guarantee that this next boom of television is going to be better than cinema."

While discussing his experience about working in both films and TV, Ronit said stars like Sushant Singh Rajput and Amit Sadh have broken the stereotypes by proving the audience wrong that a TV actor cannot do well in films.

"The boys and girls of today's generation are very fearless. Earlier, people used to think that he has done TV, now he can't get any films. 
Somehow, Sushant, Amit, me and a bunch of other TV actors have changed the mindset. In fact people from cinema, who used to say no to TV, are now coming to the television.

"Though none of them are still doing TV, it's only me, who has been keeping a foot in both camps. But, I think in the long run, the audience likes your work irrespective of the medium," he said.

The actor will next be seen in Hadi Ali Abrar's "Dongri Ka Raja" alongside Ashmit Patel, Reecha Sahani and popular Marathi actor Gashmeer Mahajani.

The film is a love story, in which Ronit is essaying the role of an underworld don. It will release this Friday.