Rick Roy: Realised in four days we’re not equal on set

Rick Roy has worked as a costume designer on Tumhari Sulu (2017) and Shiddat (2021), among other films. Pic/Anurag Ahire

Last year, the second season of Made in Heaven starred transgender actor Trinetra Haldar in a pivotal role, making a strong case for diversity on screen. Following its global mandate of inclusivity, Amazon Prime Video has now cast queer designer Rick Roy in its upcoming young adult series, Dil Dosti Dilemma.

Initially roped in as a stylist on the Anushka Sen and Tanvi Azmi-starrer, Roy remembers walking into the pre-production meeting with the streamer to discuss the show's visual palette. "I had gone to the meeting dressed to the nines. It started as a joke that I should be cast for the role of a big, [eccentric] designer in the show. Everyone said I would be perfect for the part, and we all laughed about it," he recalls. While he passed it off as a joke, he soon received a call from the series' executive producer. "She said they wanted to cast me. It felt real to me only when they reached out to my manager to discuss the details. The director [Debbie Rao] gave me the confidence to do it. This show is close to my heart for many reasons, the most important being that it's a joy to work with good people. As a stylist, I see that the show has been size-inclusive and doesn't fall for stereotypes."

Dil Dosti Dilemma is an adaptation of the book, Asmara's Summer

Roy has spent two decades in the industry, having worked as a costume designer on Desi Boyz (2011), Tumhari Sulu (2017) and Shiddat (2021). For his maiden acting gig, he landed a role that was an extension of him. "Everything that I am is what the role had. I had six pages of scenes," he says. The acting break also taught him a few things. "I realised that being an actor requires a lot of patience. But the perks are that you get paid well and sit in a lovely vanity van. As an actor, you get taken care of far better than the technicians. We are not equal on set, and I realised that in the four-day acting gig."

Will he pursue acting seriously and make a second career of it like designer Masaba Gupta did? "If I ever pursue acting, the only inspiration will be Bebo [Kareena Kapoor Khan]. She is great fun, a superstar, and yet she is nice. She keeps it real, and I respect that in a person."