Abhay Deol Claims He Always 'Challenged' Bollywood: Endorsement Of Racist Products Or Rights Of....

Abhay Deol has always been known for not mincing his words. The actor has been featured in sporadic yet popular films. In a new interview, the actor shared that he has always tried to find work that would help him stand for the cause he personally believes in. He recalled a time when he ‘challenged’ the industry and was given labels like ‘rebel'. 

‘I always challenged the industry’, says Abhay Deol 

Abhay Deol, in a conversation with the Dirty Magazine, took a walk down memory lane when he stood up against what he thought was wrong. The actor recalled earning respect and being able to do the kind of films he wanted to do because of his ' rebellion'. However, he also mentioned that with time he has mellowed. 

In his conversation, the Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara actor shared, “I can be politically incorrect but my question is to what end? What is my goal, my purpose? I always challenged the industry. Whether it was endorsement of racist products or the rights of musicians and producers, or changing the narrative of what kind of movies and characters we portray and why. I did a lot of that at the beginning of my career because I wanted to make space for someone like myself. And so I was politically incorrect then but I wasn’t trying to be that way. I wanted to be as authentic as possible. People say I was a rebel, but it served me well. It brought me to where I am. It got me respect and I got to make the movies I wanted to make." 

He added that he has changed now, which is imperative with age. He argued, “You can’t be the same person at 35 that you were at 25; or the same person at 45 that you were at 35, hopefully. We all fear change, but change is natural, change is necessary. You know the saying ‘no man is an island’? That really hit me because I realized that I wasn’t building any bridges. If you want to lead, you cannot push people into a corner because then you isolate them and if you corner people, they’ll corner you at some point.” He also recalled thinking if he could hold on to his ideals while ‘engaging' with the world. 
 

Abhay Deol says you can either by ‘activist or actor’ 

In the same conversation, Abhay Deol also shared that even though he still wants to make pathbreaking films, his rebellion has become ‘much quieter’. He said, “I still want to make movies that speak truthfully and open doors for new kinds of narrative. It’s a quieter sort of rebellion. I may not have the glory, but I will have work that is true to who I am. I’m not an activist, I’m an actor. You have to choose which one you want to be, because you can’t be both. I’ve learnt that.” 
 

Abhay Deol will be seen next in Faraz Arif Ansari’s directorial project, Bun Tikki.