Apart from the thrill, Bobby Deol’s Ajnabee (2001) grabbed attention for its storyline, fused with the plot of wife swapping. As the film completes 20 years of release, the actor agrees that it was way ahead of its time, but that has changed with the entry of OTT platforms.

“It doesn’t feel like 20 years; it feels like we shot the film yesterday,” recalls Deol about the Abbas-Mustan directorial, which also starred Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Bipasha Basu. He adds, “When I was working with Abbas-Mustan on Soldier (1998), they thought of giving me the character that Akshay essayed. Eventually, they thought I was better suited for the character that I ended up playing.”

The reason the film did so well, he feels, is its storyline. “When the film released, it was actually ahead of its time. But now, things have changed. We see a lot of different subjects being explored on screen. Ajnabee was not just a movie, it changed a lot of things,” says the 52-year-old, adding how the web space has brought more such bold subjects to the fore.

“I think a lot of subjects now are bold, interesting, and show the reality of how people actually live their lives,” says Deol, who is reuniting up with Abbas-Mustan for their next, Penthouse.