Abhay Deol: I had to sacrifice stardom to get freedom to cater to the audience I wanted to

Ever since his debut in 2005 with Socha Na Tha, actor Abhay Deol has walked on a road less travelled, and he admits it was to find his own identity, detached from his filmy family, and he admits the pressures and challenges to stay on the path has only grown with time.

“I know I can do a lot more as an actor if given the chance. It is harder to come by that chance,” Abhay tells us.

The actor, who has strings attached to the legendary Deol clan of Bollywood, adds, “Even though I did the films I did, it is difficult to stay in the field and be constantly pushing because as there is a saying that ‘a man is not an island’, similarly, filmmaking is a collective process.

It becomes more difficult as opposed to easier. You think it will become easier because you have delivered, but with the industry growing, the pressure for delivering on the investment is also higher”.

After walking into the industry, Abhay went to find his identity as an actor through projects such as Aisha, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Raanjhanaa, Manorama Six Feet Under, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye, Dev D, Shanghai and Jungle Cry. His choices are sometimes dubbed as different, unique and conventional. However, Abhay says he never wanted any tag, crediting it as a consequence of his actions.

Looking back at his initial days, Abhay mentions, “Because I come from a family and have a last name, they (Deol family) they have an image. When I started, I was fighting to present my identity and my personality, but the makers were coming back to me and saying, ‘You have a family that has an image, why don’t you just take advantage of that’.”

Here, he asserts that he still understands that is the norm in the industry, which is all about being “packaged and presented by what your father or your family have created for you”, but he wanted to embrace his individuality.

“That was the first thing that made things a little different… Soon, I found directors to create a product that one hadn’t seen before… However, there was never an effort or a desire or a statement to be different,” the 46-year-old continues, “That is a tag I got simply because I was trying to make space for myself and stick to my individuality and authenticity in an environment which is so much about packaging and selling.”

Abhay reveals he was told to make films for the audience, not himself — something which irked him a lot. “I found it extremely patronising to say that you don’t have to like it as long as the audience likes it. I had to sacrifice my stardom, big numbers to be allowed to be given the freedom to cater to that audience,” he confesses.

That’s why the actor wants to continue on the same path instead of expanding his horizons as a director. “I’m open to the idea. I have now found some comfort to have confidence for the same. The desire is growing even more by the day, let’s see when I take the plunge,” he concludes.