Abhay Deol says he is not ‘much of an outcast’ in industry anymore: ‘They weren’t rude, but being rebel doesn’t translate well’
Abhay Deol, once billed as the poster boy of indie cinema, says he has become less dissenting with time but more hopeful.
Actor Abhay Deol is still on the quest of chronicling meaningful stories, but he is not as “defiant” as he was more than a decade ago. The actor, who became a poster boy for indie cinema in the late 2000s and gathered a loyal fan base beyond films for fearlessly questioning the system, says he is currently in a “good head space”, where he is calm and hopeful, more than ever.
Abhay is currently gearing up for the release of his debut Netflix series Trial By Fire, which aims to follow the hardships and resilience of a family seeking justice following the 1997 Uphaar Cinema fire tragedy, which claimed 59 lives, left over 100 injured and followed a 25-year-long battle.
If one follows the actor’s filmography–from Dev D, Manorama Six Feet Under, Oye Lucky Lucky Oye to Shanghai–this is exactly the kind of project Abhay would have picked up even a decade ago, but he says the streaming space has made the industry far more democratic, which is why there is an opportunity for him to continue to shine.
“I was in a good head space when the show came to me. I was hopeful that change is here, more challenging subjects will be made, and more actors of diverse backgrounds will get a chance. It is already happening, maybe that’s why I got the show, because I was in a very positive head space that there is space for someone like me too in my industry,” Abhay tells indianexpress.com.
It isn’t that Bollywood had no space for the actor, he clarifies, but the opportunities that were offered to him relied on him being a conformist. Abhay says he rebelled against being boxed, but that didn’t “translate well.”
“There was space for me earlier, but in a more conformist manner and I could have captialised on it a lot better, but my own head space was very defiant at the time, because I really wanted change. Now that the change is here, 20 years later, you get a different reception. You also react differently.”
The actor says despite his fearlessly defiant stage, the industry wasn’t rude to him, but he did feel outcast earlier. Ironically, Abhay comes the Deol film family, with veteran actor Dharmendra being his uncle and Sunny and Bobby his cousins.
“There wasn’t much of a reception for me the way I am, perhaps the way they wanted me to be. There was a lot of warmth, don’t get me wrong. They were nice, they weren’t rude, they just… I was the rebel rule breaker, and that doesn’t translate very well. Now I am not so much of an outcast, even though I was born in it, ironically,” he adds.
The Trail By Fire trailer shows the hard-hitting journey of parents, who take on powerful forces for over two decades in their struggle for justice which claimed 59 lives and left over 100 injured. The limited series, Abhay says, aligns with the kind of content he resonates with and had once hoped the industry continues making.
“I hoped we would evolve into other diverse characters, ideas other than just the formula. That’s something I have tried from the beginning of my career,” he adds. The series traces the story of Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, played by Rajshri Deshpande and Abhay, and portrays their grueling legal battle after they lose their children in the tragedy.
Based on the best-seller, Trial by Fire: The Tragic Tale of the Uphaar Fire Tragedy written by Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, the series will stream from January 13.
News Source:- The Indian EXPRESS
