Sanskrita Bharadwaj (HINDUSTAN TIMES; May 24, 2020)

Actor Abhay Deol has been in Goa during the lockdown, and doing “great”. He says, “I cycle, swim, and I’m completing my house in Goa; lockdown has slowed things on that front. And I’m developing two scripts, I have three films in post production, and taking online classes in subjects that interest me. I lay in the sun everyday so I can keep a nice tan, and thankful for the privilege to be able to do so.”

The 44-year-old chooses to be away from the limelight stating “Popular actors with big banners behind them get tremendous coverage.” But, adds that since he keeps a “low profile” and follows an unconventional path, “People believe that I’m choosy or reclusive. Truth is I cannot participate in this hyper capitalism that the industry pushes upon us.”

Commenting on the current state of affairs due to the global Coronavirus pandemic, Deol says, “I don’t think we can or should go back to normal. It will take a while, I’m hoping it will be by the end of the year but you can’t really say. We need to rethink the way we structure our society, cities, businesses, and prioritise providing for the poor while investing in green technologies to create new jobs. This calamity is also an opportunity. History proves that such outbreaks will happen unless we take drastic measures.”

An optimist at heart, he adds, “This pause has given the planet breathing space. It’s brought to people’s attention the dangers of unchecked capitalism. It shows that we are all connected, even if we make our own fake borders.”