Meet actor who became bigger than SRK, Salman after debut; signed 47 films in 11 days; never gave another hit, is now...

Rahul Roy made his acting debut with the musical romantic drama Aashiqui in which he was paired with another debutant Anu Aggarwal. The Mahesh Bhatt directorial became a blockbuster success and its soundtrack, with songs such as Dheere Dheere, Nazar Ke Saamne, Bas Ek Sanam Chaahiye, and Jaane Jigar Jaaneman, became the highest-selling album in the history of the Indian music industry.

Reflecting back on his stardom, Rahul Roy told Bollywood Hungama in an interview last year, "After Aashiqui’s release, Mahesh and Mukesh (Bhatt) accompanied me to Metro Cinema. Outside, people cheered for me. I didn’t have bodyguards then. Inside the theatre, people threw coins when my character was introduced with the song Saanson Ki Jarurat Hai Jaise." The debutant actor became a bigger star than the three Khans when he was just 24.

Rahul Roy shared in the same interview that he signed a total of 47 films in 11 days after the blockbuster success of his debut film. "For six months, I didn’t get anything. But then in 11 days, I signed 47 films", the actor said. He went on to play the leading roles in Ghazab Tamasha, Sapne Sajan Ke, Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayee, Game, Gumrah, Majhdaar, Naseeb, and Achanak, but none of them could match the phenomenal success of Aashiqui.

After several flops in the 1990s, Rahul Roy lost his stardom. He made headlines in 2006 again when he participated in the first season of the controversial reality show Bigg Boss. Hosted by Arshad Wari and aired on Sony Entertainment Television, the show ran for 86 days from November 2006 to January 2007. Rahul famously remained a silent spectator throughout the show and ended up winning the trophy in the Grand Finale.

In 2020, Rahul Roy suffered a heart attack and underwent angiography of the brain and heart. His treatment lasted for several weeks. In his interview, Rahul thanked Salman Khan as he shared that his finances got over during his medical treatment, but Salman came to his rescue and cleared the pending bills, without ever speaking about the same in front of the media.

Rahul made his Bollywood comeback with the Kanu Behl-directed Agra, which premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. The film received excellent reviews from the critics, who dubbed it as "the most boldest Indian film." Agra is still awaiting its Indian theatrical release. Rahul has also acted in a short film Adakaar and a web series Kadiyaan in the last couple of years.