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Abhay Deol admits women in his ‘conservative’ family were not allowed to work in films; claims he was held back from mingling with industry kids
In a new interview, Abhay Deol opened up about his upbringing and revealed how his family held conservative beliefs close to them despite working in the film industry.
Abhay Deol is known for his unique choice of roles in films like Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, Aisha, and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. He comes from the popular 'Deol' family in Bollywood and is cousin of Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol. Recently, the actor shared that his family had a conservative outlook and that made them maintain a gap from industry kids.
In a candid interview with Filmfare, Abhay Deol shared that he grew up in a joint family with seven kids. But, due to his father and uncle, he had known about movies and Bollywood from a young age.
But, since they came from humble backgrounds, they always maintained a certain gap from the glamorous world while working in films and closely held their small-town values which he found restrictive as a child. He also shared that women in his family were allowed to work, but not in films.
He said, "Back then, I didn't understand why we were held back from going to 'filmy parties, ' as they call them, or mingle with the industry kids or the industry. They were trying to protect us, but back then, I was confused."
Despite the boundaries, the Aisha actor had a rebellious streak, so his family wasn't surprised with his move into the film industry. He also mentioned his cousin Sunny Deol joked about his argumentative behavior and felt he was better suited to be a lawyer.
However, given his nature, he went on to work in films that were often different from the mainstream cinema which left his father and family worried.
Explaining the same, he said, "Early in my career, the film choices I made, they were concerned. They did make my first movie, Socha Na Tha, and they were okay with that, but with the later choices like Manorama or Ek Chaalis Ki Last Local, they made peace with my choices with Dev D and Oye Lucky Lucky Oye. They just didn't want me to go down that path because they were concerned."
The Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara shared his family understood the possible challenges associated with working in unconventional films. As a result, they felt his choices would leave him behind in the competitive Bollywood scene.
Despite their concerns, Deol followed his instincts as an actor, managed to carve his identity in the industry, gaining appreciation for his performances. He was last seen on the big screen in 2022. After that, he appeared in the 2023 web series Trial By Fire and received a positive response for his performance.
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