Showing posts with label Manorama Six Feet Under. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Manorama Six Feet Under. Show all posts
I don’t fit in, but after 17 years, I’m still around-Abhay Deol
8:17 AM
Renuka Vyavahare (BOMBAY TIMES; March 3, 2023)
In an industry where a lot of actors prefer diplomacy over frankness and prefer to follow the herd mentality, Abhay Deol has always stood by his own rules. He has a mind and a voice of his own that don’t crumble under pressure. And, of course, his choice of movies and other projects strongly reflect his belief and thought process. In an interview with Bombay Times, the actor talks about his career, beliefs, choices and how the industry accommodated him though he dared to do things differently. Excerpts:
Speaking your heart out is often misinterpreted as defiance or disrespect. Has your outspokenness worked as a double-edged sword for you?
In our space, speaking up can be mistaken as disrespect. All you are doing is speaking your mind and being honest. No one’s there to tell you whether you are right or wrong. You are just frowned upon, but that’s okay. I don’t think I was labelled as a troublemaker, so I would say the film industry has been accommodating towards me.
They may not have agreed with my methods, but they respected the stands I took. It’s highly possible that I may have lost work because of my outspokenness, but that’s okay. It’s just the consequence of you being you. There will always be work. It’s been 17 years, and I am still around. People like my work and I feel grateful. I have no regrets, anger or bitterness towards anyone. I am in a good space, and so is the industry.
As a globe-trotting actor, did you ever feel out of place in Bollywood?
I did find myself out of place. I was born in the industry, so I am very much an insider, but I became an outsider. However, I can’t be considered an outsider because I was born into a film family. So, I am neither here nor there. There was a learning process for me. I still don’t necessarily fit in, but there are a lot more people like me in the industry today than at the time that I started out. Time heals everything. I am glad I stuck to my guns.
Based on the Uphaar Cinema tragedy (1997), your recent web show Trial By Fire was a moving, undramatic portrayal of grief and the pursuit of justice. How difficult was it to revisit the incident and tap into that state of mind?
It wasn’t difficult getting into the role because the tragedy was so hard…. The pain of losing a child. So maybe you can imagine what your parents would go through if you had died. None of that is easy to deal with. Falling into that sort of tragedy because it’s a true story was easy, but getting out of that zone was difficult. This was a real incident; these are real people. You are not portraying fiction, so you can empathise and understand these people easily. It was hard to get out of it because you couldn’t shake off the fact that you just reenacted a trauma that some people went through.
Some of the films that you did back in the day were ahead of their time. Today, we are seeing that kind of content being created for OTT. For an actor like you, isn’t this phase conducive for the type of projects that you like to be associated with?
There’s a lot more of provocation, experimentation and bringing out individual artistes and their voices today than when I started out. Getting non-formulaic movies made back then was more difficult. I mostly worked with directors at the beginning of their career because they were the ones with the freshest ideas. They weren’t under the pressure of commercial constraints. I came up with more indie movies because when I was working on them, the multiplexes were just coming up. For a brief period, there was experimentation so I could bring out films like Dev D, Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd, Ek Chalis Ki Last Local, Oye Luck! Lucky Oye and Manorama Six Feet Under. Once the multiplexes were established and stopped expanding, things went back to what they were before, which means less experimentation. With the OTT platforms coming in, they have opened doors for people like myself too.
I can play roles of different ages without hang ups-Abhay Deol
8:04 AM
Unfazed about playing father to a teenager in 'Spin', Abhay Deol says film is a significant step in South Asian representation on screen
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; August 5, 2021)
A quick look at Abhay Deol’s repertoire will tell you that playing a dad won’t faze him. “I played one in Manorama [Six Feet Under],” he says as we discuss his new film, Spin, where he essays the role of a supportive father to Avantika Vandanapu. “Bollywood normalises 50-plus actors with 20-plus heroines because of their insecurity about ageing. It’s funny because next to younger actresses, they look even older. My upcoming Netflix show has me going from 30s to the 50s. I can play roles of different ages without hang-ups.”
Disney’s first Indo-American movie, directed by Manjari Makijany, revolves around a teenager following her passion for DJing. Deol believes the film is a significant step in representing South Asian culture on screen. “It’s telling the story of an American kid and suggesting not to judge them by their skin colour. [My character] doesn’t have an American twang. In keeping it as a regular story, Disney has made a statement about how American culture is a composite of many cultures. South Asian culture being represented front and centre does a great deal for brown kids who can [now see] themselves on screen. It makes them feel less on the periphery.”
Never one to have patience for formulaic films, Deol charted his own path in the Hindi film industry, fronting stories that spoke to him. The actor, who has a web series on Uphaar Cinema tragedy in the pipeline, is glad that the OTT boom has created an alternate universe of entertainment. “Now, there are platforms showcasing the talent of those who don’t conform to Bollywood. Formula filmmakers don’t realise that the generation, which has grown up on the Internet, will not look at stardom the way they do.”
I haven’t migrated to the US-Abhay Deol
7:42 AM
The actor who has been missing in action after his last outing One By Two, talks about his plans
Subhash K Jha (DNA; March 4, 2015)
He’s been missing in action. We haven’t seen Abhay
Deol on or off screen for quite a while. Has he moved to the US
permanently? Deol whose understated performances in Dev D, Shanghai and
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobaara made him one of the most natural actors seems
to have cut loose from the film industry. In an an interview from the
USA, Abhay clears the air about his future.
It’s been a while since we saw you on screen. Where are you? Have you migrated to the US?
(Laughs) I haven’t migrated to the US!
Your last Bollywood outing One By Two proved to be damaging on many counts. In hindsight, do you think it was premature for you to turn producer?
Nope, I learnt a lot in my outing as a producer and it has opened many new doors for me. In life you only learn by taking chances.
You also took on the music mafia in Bollywood. Is there a sense of vinidication since now Zee Music has opened up as a feasible alternative route for movie producers to release their soundtracks?
It’s good that Zee has opened up their own company. I hope in the future, filmmakers have more than one or two choices. For a market to thrive, there has to be a level playing field for all professionals.
In spite of such thoughtful performances in recent films like Shanghai and Chakrvayuh why do we see so little of you on screen?
It’s a media-driven world and I guess I need to be more media savvy. I’m also very picky with my films. It’s hard to find the right fit. After so many years I still need to fit in! I’ve heard many people say that to me. Maybe that is true maybe or maybe that is not, I believe if a filmmaker wants to work with you and use you for what you have then he/she will do it. That’s how both Oye Lucky and Dev.D happened.
Do you think American filmmakers take Bollywood seriously?
American filmmakers, as I have understood, look at Bollywood with an amused curiosity. Musicals, traditionally, are rare in Hollywood, so that automatically puts all of Bollywood into one genre. Bollywood also relies much more on spectacle than Hollywood barring the superhero movies. Bollywood for them is a genre by itself. The word brings up images of bright colours, music, spectacle, beautiful women and muscular men. Funnily enough, most of them haven’t seen any Bollywood film but the name is something they are aware of. Oxford dictionary, zindabad!
Which films so far have been the most satisfying and most unfulfilling for you?
Most satisfying would be Dev.D, Shanghai and Manorama Six Feet Under. They were heavily driven by the characters. Least satisfying would be the ones where I didn’t have much to do. I leave that to you to decide!
You’ve always been a bit of a maverick. I remember you did a course in welding?
Ups and downs come and go, the important thing is to live them fully and understand them. The more experiences you have, the more you understand as long as you remain open.
Any chances of turning director in the near future?
Right now, most of my focus is on the acting and producing front. All my energies are concentrated on making the next film that will break the mold. I have no plans to turn director, I wouldn’t go there until I feel sure that I am ready.
When do we see you and Preeti Desai tie the knot? How would you define your relationship with her?
(Laughs) I’m often asked this question! Not anytime soon. I don’t define relationships that can’t be. It’s everything and nothing at the same time. The kind that that makes you learn how to live and how to be.
When do you return to India?
I will return soon. I’m having too much fun here in the US! I have two confirmed projects back at home, a big commercial film and a small offbeat radical one. I may have found the perfect balance.
Anushka Sharma's second venture as co-producer was to be originally made by Abhay Deol?
8:00 AM
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; January 5, 2015)
After her maiden production — Navdeep Singh’s NH10 — releases in March, Anushka Sharma is apparently planning to produce Navdeep’s next film titled Canada in collaboration with filmmaker Aanand L Rai.
Interestingly, the upcoming political thriller was to be originally produced by Abhay Deol in 2011. In fact, the actor had planned to venture into production with Canada when his plans to produce a film called Basra dealing with human trafficking never took off.
Abhay was part of Navdeep’s critically-acclaimed Manorama Six Feet Under (2007). At that time, Navdeep was counted among the most promising directors. Says a well-placed source, “Abhay and Navdeep bonded well and became buddies. They planned several projects, but things did not work out.” In 2011, Navdeep and Abhay had teamed up for Shaadi of The Dead (which was later retitled Rock The Shaadi) with Genelia D’Souza as his costar. The film, however, faced a roadblock when co-producer Ekta Kapoor pulled out. Abhay then planned to produce Basra with Navdeep as the helm. Things did not work out again and he decided to back Canada.
Adds the source, “When he felt nothing was moving in case of Canada, Abhay turned producer with Devika Bhagat’s One By Two last year. Navdeep had been trying to find someone to invest in Canada and in September last year, Rai came on board as producer. Now Anushka has also joined in.” The actress was not available for comment.
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