Bobby Deol – the Bollywood heartthrob in the 90s is now reinventing himself in the industry. His performance in recently released ‘Love Hostel’ has received accolades from all corners. The actor speaks on a large range of issues related to Bollywood in a candid chat with Puja Talwar.
Here are the highlights of the interview –
Audience has changed for good now
It’s always good to be on the opposite side. I am an actor and I always wanted to play negative roles. I think the audience has changed now. They feel happy to see an actor’s performance in a particular role which is really heartening. There is a depth to my character in Love Hostel.
It is a very conscious decision to choose different kinds of roles.
I wanted to change my image and that’s why I said to yes to my role in Love Hostel. It is one-in-a-lifetime kind of character and that’s why it will always remain special.
It was a nice experience working with Sanya and Vikrant
I always love working with people who are grounded and nice. I remember the first day of shooting. Sanya Malhotra and Vikrant Massey walked in and told me that how much they have adored me since Soldier days.
Watch the full interview here –
It was a such a nice gesture. There was no need for that though but I felt good to see their humility and respect for an elder co-star. I was impressed to see their dedication and passion for their work.
Bollywood is much more organised now
The work these days is much more organised – there are workshops, locations are locked much in advance, dialogues are finalised well in time. There were people passionate about their work but they never went into the depth of discussing thigs with each other. All creative people think that what they are doing is the best thing that could have been done. In those days it was all about being natural actors, being spontaneous while this generation knows their craft better.
I never looked at OTT platform as not being cinema
OTT content is as good as cinema. It doesn’t matter that it is not being shown in cinema halls. As an actor, it should not matter to me whether my audience is watching me on a mobile phone screen or an I-pad. My job is to do my job well.
OTT platforms are helping us watch a lot of good content which otherwise won’t have been possible.
It also offers a bigger platform to an actor to experiment or be a part of a lot of creative work happening in this space.
Its always going to be tough to survive in Bollywood
We work in a very ruthless and competitive industry and I think it is not because people are mean but because so many people are trying to get same work. I tell all kids that first get educated as it makes a big difference. It gives you an opportunity to fall back on something if you don’t click in the industry. Even when OTT platforms are giving a lot of opportunities, the competition is always going to be tough. I keep telling my 20-year-old son to study and focus on his work.
