Rahul Roy

Roy was born to Deepak and Indira Roy and educated at the Lawrence School, Sanawar in Himachal Pradesh.^[15] His maternal uncle is Cory Walia, a renowned name in tinsel town, and on the fashion circuit, especially as make-up artist of celebrities.^[16] Through his mother, he has a multi-ethnic background, with Punjabi Sikh, Burmese, Maratha Rajput and Goan Saraswat descent.^[17] He was married to Rajlakshmi Khanvilkar (Rani), a fashion model, who had been previously married to Samir Soni.^[18] They divorced amicably in 2014.^[19][20]

In the early 1990s, Roy appeared in several romantic films that did not do well, although his performances in Majhdhaar, Dilwale Kabhi Na Hare, Pyar Ka Saaya and Jaanam were well-received. His best acting performance is considered by many to be in Junoon. In the late 1990s, Roy mostly played supporting actor roles. He got his big break in the 1990 film Aashiqui.

After Aashiqui, Roy signed many films. Apart from Junoon, most of them did not become hits. Many of the films he had signed ended up being shelved. K.Balachander's film Dilon Ka Rishta was shelved due to the death of producer R. C. Prakash; another important film, Ayudh, was shelved due to the director's untimely death. His other shelved films are Premabhishek, Tune Mera Dil Le Liya with Raveena Tandon, N. R. Pachisia's Dil Diya Chori Chori with Karishma Kapoor, Balwant Dullat's Phir Kabhi, Mahesh Bhatt's Kalyug, Harry Baweja's Vajra with Raveena Tandon and Shilpa Shirodkar and Jab Jab Dil Mile with Karishma Kapoor and Nagma.^[21][22]

Roy was going to play the male lead in Mahesh Bhatt's Khilona, the Bollywood remake of the Kevin Costner thriller Revenge, but it was shelved as well. Roy returned to acting after four years in Meri Aashiqui (2005), in which he played the lead role. His most recent films include the comedy film Naughty Boy (2006) and Rafta Rafta – The Speed, in which he played the role of an underworld don. He also appeared on the television program Bigg Boss, the Indian version of Celebrity Big Brother in 2006. He won the show by public votes on 26 January 2007. Roy made a comeback with Harikrit Films psychological thriller To B or Not to B.^[23]