OYE PROMOTION PROMOTION OYE
Can I risk saying that the part of films I hate most, is promoting it?
It’s not about the ego, it’s not about projecting an image, it’s not about being lazy or anything else you might think. The truth is, I love making movies but I just don’t have it in me to sell them. I am an actor not a salesman, but most people seem to think that the two are one and the same.
I find promoting extremely tiring. It basically means I have to answer the same questions (and there are usually three at the most) a 1000 times, in the span of 8 to 9 hours.
It usually goes like this –
1. What is the film about?
2. How was it working with the director?
3. Are you having/had an affair with the actress?
While they have to ask the first two questions, they are most interested in the third one and the rest of the interview almost always focuses on that. With a scandalous headline to match! No wonder most people perceive actors to be sex-starved maniacs.
I’m in this business because I love it. Besides the fact that I was never good at anything else, I actually find satisfaction at the end of a long day at the office (which could be anywhere within the country or the globe). I love entertaining people and taking them away from reality for the few hours that a film lasts. I love making them dig deep within their conscience and making them perhaps re-evaluate their lives or even their values. Most of all, I like being in someone else’s shoes. It helps me understand myself that much more.
But it’s a double-edged sword. We live in a world that is obsessed with celebrity and celebrity lifestyle. I am a very private person and cringe at attention but if I don’t get recognized then that simply means no one is watching my work. So recognition is essential but what I find hard to deal with is obsession. Nothing makes me happier than someone coming up to me and saying, “we saw your film and loved it”, and nothing makes me blush more than someone wanting to take my picture and my autograph and my phone number. Am I asking to eat my cake and keep it to? I am not so sure anymore.
I’m so tempted to write about my journey within the industry. About facing prejudice more than the average person, of trying to keep my individuality in the face of an industry that only wants to mould you in the image of a “hero”. Of trying to do films that everyone says, “won’t work”, or with directors that the producers and distributors will not support. But it won’t serve any purpose because five films down, that has become my strength and people and critics have responded positively. There are those who say that I have it easy because I am the only one doing the kind of films I do. I’d like them to try and get to do what I have done. If I am reaping the benefits today, it is only because I have been through the worst.
I’ll take the risk of being politically-incorrect and say that the crew of Oye Lucky Lucky Oye was the best one I have ever worked with. Dibakar also makes films because he loves making them and the money and success that comes with it, is just a bonus. I’ll work with him anytime and on any subject. Paresh Rawal is an amazing actor and an even more amazing person. Archana Puran Singh is a comedienne on camera and off it, and my jaw ached from laughing every time I hung out with her. Neetu has talent that is still untapped and I hope she does films that explore her vast potential. Added to that are actors like Manu and Richa who you will see when the films comes out, that we have a pool of talent, waiting to be discovered. I am very thankful to them for being who they are and treating me just as a fellow actor and not some star who must be alienated.
Then there is Kartik, the DP, who treated every frame as if he were painting it. A little insight into him, he almost always looked grumpy, but was always actually happy. Dibakar and he had a great rapport on set and the two of them made shooting easy. All in all, I hope the audience likes Oye Lucky Lucky Oye. Whether you like it, love it, or even hate it, I can safely say it is not a film that is pretentious, or stylish without any substance. It is original in so many ways and further solidifies Dibakar’s style of capturing the many nuances of Delhi and its people.
Like I said before, I am not a salesman but an actor and the two are not one and the same, but I hope I did a good job of selling the film to you through this article more than any representative from any studio could have.
Tags: Abhay Deol, archana puran singh, Dibakar Banerjee, kartik vijay, Manu Rishi, Neetu Chandra, OLLO, Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, Paresh Rawal, promotion, Richa Chadda
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
Ae Neeeeeeeeelyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Welcome to PFC. Do keep blogging here.
Hey Abhay, always been an admirer of yours. I loved your tendency to pick on off beat topics like Manorama 6 Feet Under, Ek Chaalis Ke Last Local. And also loved ur debut act in Socha Na Tha. I am hoping that Oye Lucky, would give you the commercial success and recognition, which you truly deserve. I liked u in Dev D promos also. Just keep going Abhay, hum tumhare saath hain.
Abhay!!!! WELCOME TO PFC!!! AND NO PROMOTION STRESS REQUIRED HERE!!!
Hey abhay..welcome here..good to see you here..carry on the good work..:)
Oye welcome welcome oye…i have been a huge follower of ur films since socha na tha …..and the choice of films you make is simply great and i can trust and watch any of the films u are in without caring abt anyhthing else ….eagerly waiting for OLLO and DevD…..a very warm Welcome again…and please keep blogging …
Deol Saab,
Welcome to PFC.
Many actors, directors still have this opinion that marketing part is toughest.
May I dare say, in the present age, it’s not about selling or marketing, It’s about connecting with the people.
Earlier geographical distances were real and people (film stars sitting in Bombay) needed to actually travel to connect with the people living in Delhi, Panipat, Ambala (Cantt and City), Chandigarh, Amritsar, J&K etc etc Or with the people living abroad.
Entered new technology and if one likes he can make an appearance everywhere through Video Conferencing.
Internet connects one with the rest of the world.
A little effort and relationship between an actor, enjoying time with his pet in his house or relaxing with favourite music, and the audiences is developed.
They may like or dislike a film and that is a different matter altogether but a conversation can happen between two or among normal people.
Blogging is one small part of that side where one can make a connection with a large number of readers or audiences.
Hope you get over your hitch soon. And most of the time there is no need even to talk about the product to be released. When a long term relation is developed things just happen on their own.
People will ask you and you will feel happy inside while replying them.
Welcome again.
welcome to PFC i admire your choice of movies and yes u are right about intreviewer asking an actor about scandolous stuff.
as for OLLO i m glad UTV is backing up the movie because half of the promotion is already done by UTV’s name alone since they have reputation of delivering quality movies. And when viewers sees the UTV logo in promoes of OLLO he/she will know what to exepct from a movie and that is Quality comedy
again keep up the good work and can’t wait for OLLO and Dev D
Welcome to PFC Abhay. Hoping to see more of your work in the fuuture and keep posting something here for us once in a while!!!
A warm welcome once again.
Thanks for blogging, Abhay. I have seen most of your films and haven’t been disappointed so far. Sincerely hoping, that Oye Lucky and DevD match up to my expectations.
~
And yes, do keep blogging.
Hey Abhay,
I love your work. It’s really inspiring to see someone carve out their own niche in such a challenging industry. I’ve looked forward to all of your films since Socha Na Tha, and that’s no different for Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, especially with Dibaker Banerjee directing. Best wishes.
a huge fan of your effortless acting skills…thanx
abhay you are one of the few actors who maeks the kinds of films he beleives in and strives for quality…
i hope you co ntinue making such films….il quote navdeep singh on you “abhay is a smart fucker he will create a sureshot audience of atleast 50 people” or soemthing like that
slowly that audience is growing and thats cause bollywood to change keep it up :D
A surprise! Not sure if you are fond of writing but nice to read about your thoughts @ films et al here…
Btw, your choices of films are amazing! All the best!
A warm welcome to the one actor in the country who understands the the term UNDERSTATED.
Great having you here Abhay. Keep blogging. Pour your mind out. And yeh a clear exempt from the above three mentioned dreaded Qs.
Wish OLLO great success followed by a dhamakedar Dev.D
Dunno why, but i feel u r more comfortable & convincing as Lucky than Dev. Hope you pull it off well. More power to you. Chak De Phatte!
welcome abhay….i love ur choice of films and of course the films as well…..
eagerly looking forward to OLLO and DEV.D
Hi Abhay,
Welcome to the site. Became your fan after an unplanned viewing of ‘Socha Na Tha’ and have never been disappointed through Ahista.., Ek Chalis.., Manorama..
As much as good acting, the choice of roles is part of actor’s responsibility, and you score on both counts..!!!
Thanks for entertaining us, and providing the welcome break from the ‘Hero’ mould.
Abhay, WELCOME to PFC. You write really well (and great punctuation to) Your work in Manorama was fabulous. I’ll definitely be watching OLLO (mainly for Paresh Rawal and the great Archana Puran Singh) and I certainly hope Dev D does well too.
When I first heard of the new Deol I was like, “Oh no! Not another.”
No offense really. But the ‘younger’ of the clan hasn’t really set new standards for subtlety. The next time I came across your performance was when ‘Socha Na Tha’ was on TV. And that really made me notice, “Now this guy is quite natural.”
And followed Ahista Ahista. Really nice performance there. From then on, I’m a fan boy.
My wish is that you do a movie with uncle Dharamji. Would love to see you both together.
All the best for your future endeavors and do keep blogging.
welcome welcome welcome to PFC abhay
great to see you here …
liked your films ..loved manorama and 1.40..
hoping OLLO and DevD rocks
Abhay Deol!!!! WOW! WOW! WOW! Welcome aboard!
Promotion or no promotion, rest assured you can just be yourself here. This is PFC. 100% passion, zero stress – and politically never correct!
Double whammy … Welcome …
Welcome to PFC.
Your script sense is amazing. You have cornered the market.
More Power to You.
Surprise !!
wel come !!
liked your films and waiting for next one !!
Hi Abhay
Nice to see you on PFC. I really admire for your courage and hard working that you could create a space for you in boolywood among so many heavy weights…keep blogging
jyada…. i hope u r not here to just sell the movie, which i think is goin to be a cracker…. but i hope u r here to keep on blogging… have been ur ardent fan and would love to keep readin stuff from you….
you are not just a very good actor but you are a amzing choice maker….
welcome!
Oh JI
Welcome hai
Lucky Jeda munda hai apna single hai ki bachelor
Oh le patrol te pawaya hi nahi
koi nai sadi gadii te goodwill nal chaldi hai……..
eagerly waiting for superchor to arrive
dont genaralise all the journalists.theek aap ki tarah kuchh journlists bhi hain jo alag sawal poochhte hain,lekin unhhen jawab nahin milte.kaha jata hai ki kewal film par baat karen.phir kaha jata hai…
1.kahani ham nahin batayenge
2.character details ham nahin denge
3.homework ke baare mein na poochhen
4.personal sawal na karen(jiska jawab na dena ho,woh personal ho jata hai)
5.hindiwalon se baat nahin karni hai
aur bhi if and buts rahte hain…kabhi fence ke idhar aakar bhi dekhen,hamen unsupportive attitude mein kaise readers ko inform aur entertain karna hota hai.
hope is muddon par aap gaur karenge aur jawab denge.sab ke saamne batane mein sharm aaye to aap mujhe brahmatmaj@gmail.co par likh sakte hai.
hamesha ki tarah aap ke liye shubhkaamnayen!!!
Welcome to PFC!!
your work so far has proved your versatility and with OLLO your work sure will reach a place that is going to be special in the hearts of filmgoers.
How are you keeping this non-star image? Do you tell the regular producers to keep upirself out of regular movies? Dont you want to scream on top of your lungs and beat 40 goons to pulp because they said something remotely suggestive of a sister? Just playing devil’s advocate here…
And offcourse this is one question I cannot resist from asking…
How many people asked you to take the moustache off for Manorama SFU?
oye Abhay, Ji aayan noo!
Hi Abhay, I was a bit sceptical about you when I first heard that another Deol had entered Bollywood. You may ask why and the answer is that both Sunny and Bobby have been making VERY predictable films for ages now. I guess I thought you would continue “in the family” way so to speak.
The other reason was that you did not look like the traditional “chocolate type” who hits one immediately with his charm- well I thought so any way. I must confess I have only seen one movie of yours and that is Manorama. By the end of it I was definitely enamoured by your charm and acting skills and the guts to do such an off beat film – guess you didn’t have much to lose and everything to gain.
As for the trade off between success and the invasion of privacy, I would say the media these days are vindictive and without any saving grace. They only really want “stars” to talk about their private lives. They make-up many stories and when the star has to promote their film the media hold them to ransom. If they don’t get what they want they belittle the actors with choice words (in their articles)and say they are using them to promote their movie. Well of course they are! Isn’t that how it works. The actors want to talk about their soon to be released movies and not who they are seeing and what happens in their bed-rooms! But it seems that all the interviewers are interested in is the latter part. Don’t get me wrong, I am like the next person who likes a bit of gossip and personal information but only if it is volunteered by the actors and not through the malevolent pursuit by ” blood-thirsty” journalists.
So you are right to want recognition while maintaining the right to a certain amount of privacy when it comes to your personal life.
I hope you keep on making good films.
more abhay more…oye….!!!
welcome Abhay…!!!!!!!!!!!!!
now coming to the fourth question
4 . How are you feeling working in this different film whilst having an affair with the actress and directing the director? :-)
:D I havent been able to take this grin off my face since the PFC twitter showed up on my list.
Oye Welcome Welcome OYE! :D
hey abhay
first u rock dude .. ur work and natural aesthetics on screen is amazing. specially ur way of delivering dialogues. they are so unpretentious and so forthright “collocial”. secondly i think ur this industry’s portrayal of RK Narayan’s common man, who says nothing but says it all.
well where as promoting a film is concerned and u being bored of answering the same old questions put forth to you then y not figure out a way to even do that bit differntly ‘zara hatke’ just like your films and your acting. For instance record your answers to all the stereotypical questions and then hand over copies to various journos .. and to particular questions blog them and give reference to all journos as to where can they find them ..
BUT if u want to survive and get noticed then promotion is the adage cnt escape it so play along .. but play it ur way …
What a pleasant surprise!!! Glad to see you here…
You have a wonderful filmography to flaunt… Looking forward to OLLO & Dev.D…
I know everyone goes on and on about your choice in films and you being natural and all that…which I would not disagree on…
But what I would like to say is that…you are hot…
In a random theatre in Toronto, where I went to watch Fashion, this normally well-behaved girl actually whistled out loud upon seeing you in the trailer for Dev D…yours truly…
Are you married?
Welcome aboard Abhay!
I have seen all your films, but it was in Manorama where you did come of age. Though, imho, your voice and diction sometimes hinders the performance. If only you had one like Jimmy Shergill.
And you will realize that beginning to blog here is one of the best thing you could have ever done to your career.
Hi abhay deol
please work with ram gopal varma and mani ratnam. all the best
padhariye, padhariye… pfc par aapka tah-e dil se swagat hain aapka.
Hi Abhay,
Welcome … I Love ur acting yaar …
U were so simple yet so effective in Ahista Ahista …
I loved the movie simply because of you …
And Socha na tha , Man … U was awesome in ur debut as well …
Anyways, I am just a chronic reader of this blog site …
But I welcome u here with all my heart …
Nice VERY FIRST Write UP !!!
Keep writing man …
I like u because you are different from those actors who are from a family and try to make those old formula films,the barrier which u broke should definitely inspire others too
Abhay, thanks for writing that. Having been one of those fans asking for a photo with a director or actor, I’ve always wondered how uncomfortable it is for the victim … er, celebrity. Some of my fellow fans are out of control, and it gets uncomfortable and sometimes scary.
So, when approaching someone I’ve admired, I try to mention the work I’ve appreciated, so it doesn’t sound like I feel I already personally know you.
Some fans think actors “owe” them some attention since they buy their movie tickets. I strongly disagree, but what can you do to change that view? It’s that same mindset that journalists who ask inappropriate questions bring, I think.
Speaking of appreciation, letsee…. In Honeymoon Travels – you were funny! Manorama – understated subtlety and perfection! Ek Chali Ki Last Local – very amusing. I can’t wait for Oye Lucky and Dev.D. And I’m also looking forward to hearing what Anurag put you through!
Welcome to PFC Abhay! Thrilled that you finally started blogging …. was wondering if you’d ever do it:) Have to confess that I deeply admire your choice of movies and work as an actor, and eargerly anticipating many more years of good cinema from you:)) Nice write-up and remember, good work speaks for itself!
Welcome Welcome Abhay………
Ur one of the most gutsy actors in this industry ,And now uve proven that ur also the most intelligent by starting to blog on PFC……………
ALL THE BEST FOR
OYE LUCKY OYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Welcome to PFC Abhay…lovely to see you here…what a year for you to look forward at…OLLO and Dev.D…more power to you dude..
Hi abhay,
welcome to PFC and though I am fairly new to write here, I have been reading this site for a while now. Its great to hear from you, I have loved all your films and greatly admire your conviction to stick to different subjects and unconventional themes. I hope you stick to your guns in the future and keep popularizing the uncovnetional themes and great story tellers and directors like dibakar.
keep writing on PFC>
all the power to you,
bipin
Abhay!! U bloody rock!!!
I could go on and on for 50 paragraphs, but i’ll just be repeating myself!
Initially (Socha Na Tha), I didn’t see the Abhay ‘Spark’, but maine sochna na tha ke ahista ahista tum ek chaalis ki last local se bhi tez bhaago ge! ;)
Abhay, UR NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE THE FILM INDUSTRY!! EVER
Really looking forward to ‘Dev.D’ and…well, everything you do!
Jeete raho humre hero!
Suswagatam Abhay bhau!!!
Let us know,.
which are your favourite films?
In Soviet Russia, celebrities ask journos who they sleep with!
Welcome to PFC.
Welcome to PFC, Abhay. We’re looking forward to both OLLO and Dev.D.
great to see you interacting online. you are my favourite indian actor working in the industry now and your performance in manorama was one of the finest ever. keep doing the good work. thanks and goodluck!
abhay, i too, would love to believe your words.. “I am not a salesman but an actor and the two are not one and the same”. i can understand this in the context of promoting a movie you’ve already made. unfortunately, it’s not the same when you’re still struggling for the one role that would eventually lead to more roles and make one a working actor. they call it show “business” for a reason. there has to be some business behind what you can show. an actor can’t just wait for that “one” audition to come along. all along, he has to be a salesman for himself, to sell himself. an actor is just a glorified whore, and believe me, i say this bc you and i are one and the same. an actor’s job doesn’t just end with the martini shot. promotion is and should be an integral part of an actor’s life. if you don’t believe that you’ve been part of a good film, then by all means, step away. it’s not like you’ve signed a contract for promoting it anyway, right? i wish you all the best for both OLLO and dev.D.
and maaf karna.. agar main kuch zyada hi keh gaya..
hi abhay. welcome to PFC. you say you hate promotion – but both dibakar and you have appeared on PFC on the same day – is that a coincidence or what? Pardon me for asking that, but I am both sceptical and hopeful – sceptical because just before a film’s release those related to it suddenly become hyperactive in reaching out to all possible means to garner maximum eyeballs of publicity, and hopeful because going by what I have seen and heard of you and Dibakar, you two should be different than the normal breed.
And yes, hope you have noted Ajay Brahmatmaj’s comments – not all journalists are of the type you describe, just like all film people are not of the same breed. I am sure you understand what I mean.
Hoping that you will keep blogging even after everything about OLLO is over….and thanks for having the guts to try out different roles so early in your career when we have established megastars who do not dare walk one step out of their carefully-cultivated ‘image’.
Welcome again
One should promote , allways
If you are not doing, then who else,…?
Kaun karega fir????
abhay!! Welcome to PFC. Hope yous stick around even after OLLO has released! Most of us have loved ur films and kudos on your choice of cinema.
However, i look forward to the day you say ‘kuttey, kameeney… Main tera khoon pi jaoonga’….
Best of luck for OLLO!
Btw, arent you promoting ur film here too? Dont be ashamed of it…. If you have liked it and had a good time making it…its ur responsibility to sell the film too… Its not only you but dozens of people whose future depends on the movie…
Abhay, I ‘Socha na tha’ that you’d start blogging man! Nevertheless ‘Ahista Ahista’ you are doing a good job. But please don’t travel on ‘Honeymoon’ man – It’s better to catch the ‘Ek chalis ki last local’. Give my regards to ‘Manorama’ aunty as well. I hope ‘Dev’ is turns out ‘Lucky’ for you!
Cheers!
Sriram.
beshaq blog..but do come back to respond all the comments as well abhay ..it would give u a tremendous high to see such response to ur first write up venture.. it’s a different high.. i dare say even for stars like you who see fan craze day in day out..and these r ppl we r all proud of ..pfc does attract ppl who think..not ppl who r fans just for the sake of it..
All the best to your efforts.. i just love ur choice of films..my affair nowdays is with the trailer of dev d..
Nice to see you blogging Abhay…welcome..
Everyone acknowledges that you have a knack of (or play your part too well) in picking stories that really work…
The last movie I saw in theatre was ‘Fashion’; and it has remained with me for a while..
Since Realistic (subject) movies is the genre we have seen you most; if you had to pick up a character from Fashion – which one will that be?
All the best for your new movie and hope we get a release in NY/NJ too..
Abhay it’s just not movies ,in the life we have to “sell” ourself so we can be successfull, that’s what u call Capitalism of the world.
Why do we need to send resumes when looking for a job? Because in our resumes we are selling our supposed skills to the employers. As long as captilaism exist conecpt of selling our self will exist. Promoting as u said kind of doing “salesman” job i understand it is repeitive but by promoting the movie u are letting the people know why movie should be seen.We have to do things in life which we don’t like but in captialsit society we have no other choice but follow the trend. Jindigi issi ka naam hai:)
again best of lukc to OLLO and Dev D and u desrve more success
Oye Welcome ji, Abhay Deol. Waiting for OLLO and Dev.D..
63 comments in 12 hours. You don’t do that bad a job of promoting Abhay! :-)
Welcome to PFC and keep writing.
Welcome to the world of blogging, eagerly awaiting for Dev.D the promo rocks and so do you!!
What a surprise to see you here! You have been my most favorite recent actor:-). Right from Socha Na tha to Manorama I have loved all of ur work… I guess for me the fact that you act in a movie is reason enough to go see it , coz of the choices that have made so far. And I dont think, that those are easy choices to make in terms of what you have done…
Good Luck to you for OLLO.. And welcome aboard!
Oye Abhay, promotion chhodo- dil khol ke bolo! Am sure OLLO will do well, best of luck for Dev D and other future ventures too and keep doing what you believe in.
good that you are writing, but continue it!!
all the time they discuss here that Abhay’s choice of films is very good and different, that he is fantastic actor.
would like to read more from you!!
Hey Abhay, you must check the Different Strokes write-up on you at Bombaybitch.com
http://www.bombaybitch.com/site/different_strokes/
OH MY GOD! THANKS GUYS I WISH I HAD CHECKED EARLIER! I was all prepared to interact with the few comments i thought there would be. Im overwhelmed, I read each and every comment and now i cant remember who said what! I wish i could mention each one of you but with the speed i type, ill be here all night. Ill try and address as many questions as i can. The most prominent issue popping up seems to be my views on selling a film.I trained as an actor and i have my strengths and weaknesses. Somehow my inherent nature of being media shy never bothered me much. I knew i had a lot of work to put into my performance so i just focussed on that. In the end I hoped that the work would speak for itself.
The other thing was the comment on the journos. Dont get me wrong, Im not generalising, I do have friends in the field but it has been my experience that no matter what you say, or how many questions you answer, in the end they focus mainly on your personal life of which they know nothing about. Im very accomodating and i answer most questions, ive had 15 min interviews go on for 40 min and we’ve discussed everything from film to philosophy. I’ve eagerly awaited many such interviews only to be disappointed the next day when the piece turns out to be one talking mainly about ‘past affairs’ and ‘present rumors’.Once a journalist asked me to say a little something about every actress ive worked with. Even though I was there promoting a film I complied. The next day it was aired on tv, and all they showed was the part where i spoke of my co-stars and the host of the show actually said, ‘well abhay, it would be better if you spoke more about your work than your actresses!’ Can you blame me for being more careful a bit cynical from then on?
The other thing was about blogging. What can i say guys, even this much has taken me 30 min to type! I would love to do it but I cant sit still in on place for too long and i remain aloof most of the time, happy to talk to those who want to talk with me but never writing it down on paper. Who knows when you will change and contradict yourself!? Ironically I did this only because my films up for release and im obviously donning the salesman’s cap. But its PFC, and if I cant be honest on this site then where else? Im not a salesman and in my experience an actor can never be one. His work has to speak for him and going to auditions is’nt so much of selling yourself than it is ’showing’ your ’self’. It really depends on how you look at it and this point can be argued on very easily. Ive come to my conclusion through my experiences, another actor would have his own. Thats why my stress on the ’self’.
RK ive been wanting to thank you for that piece you wrote on me more than a year ago! That was even before Manorama, before people had started to look at me seriously. Its the support from people like yourself that has kept me going. Or else I would have lost the fight long ago.
There’s so much more to answer but its all jammed in my head now. But all of you have given me so much encouragement, such love, such generosity, that i feel like i sound like a miss India now! I actually feel like a King! No way am i gonna give up, no way am i gonna compromise, and I hope i live up to all your expectations each time. Lots of love and i promise you that the adventure has only just begun!
“But its PFC, and if I cant be honest on this site then where else? ”
That Abhay is the BIGGEST compliment we have ever received!!! besides ofcourse our ATF Anurag’s “PFC is my home… where else will I go?”
BOOOOOOYAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Hey Abhay, going by your reply, please keep writing….please do..all the best…
Welcome Abhay and hope to hear a lot more of the angst..Its great to see so many people blogging on PFC now
You will not be sorry for coming here. All we do is rant and rave and keep bitching and moaning like old folks about the HALATH of Indian and particularly Hindi Cinema :-)
Angst will fit right in here.
Welcome & Cheers,
Deepak
its a great blog because you guys make it that way. I will try Arthi, i guess its just a matter of getting a bit used to the idea. Ha Ha deepak, i hear you, did a lot of raving and ranting myself. Then i just said ‘FUCK IT’ and i have’nt looked back since. I feel angst but id rather not entertain it. Or else I will go mad
Abhay it’s 2am in the morning where you are… !!! and you are typing responses to readers on PFC…
nahin nahin yeh khushi ke aansoo hain! 
(Hinglish: No no this happy tears is)
That’s a quickie from you. And yes,as Evelyn Tu has written, your experience on with Anurag K and team while working on Dev.D. Yes, puttin that into words will be indeed worth the effort..:-)… Thanks.
Hey Abhay..good to see you interacting..good thoughts..keep on doing the good work.:)
abhay! “But its PFC, and if I cant be honest on this site then where else?” muaaah!! hazaar thanks for that sirjee – and a shot of single malt if we ever meet!
Hey Abhay!
As a newcomer, I must admit it was at times intimidating being around you. But that was never because of you…get it? The reason Manurishi (I assume I can speak on his behalf) and myself could be ourselves was because you did’nt really act like a star. EVER! (Despite the little accident in that club scene, which left me feeling very anxious).
Much love and luck, and I know this film will raise the bar.
Richa
Hi Abhay, have seen all your films and loved them but was veryyy impressed with Manorama.Its one of the best films I have seen in a looong time.Expecting a lot from OLLO and DEV D.Keep up the good work.
Oye mundeya, tu sadda dil jetleya!
Jeenda re anmol rattan!
Hey Abhay,
Good to see you bloggin out here…pretty darn good debut on PFC :D And truly this would be the best way to promote all of your movies.Word of mouth publicity can beat the s#!t out of any other kinda crappy interviews.
And yeah the promos of Dev.D and Oye Lucky,Lucky Oye are kickass.
PS:I would rate manorama six feet under as one of the MOST original piece of work in indian cinema.Black Comedy/NOIR at it’s best.
Abhay – I have seen two movies of yours, Socha Nahi Tha and Manorama Six Feet Under, and they are both among my favourite Hindi movies. In fact Socha Nahi Tha is my 2nd most favourite romantic comedy (after My Sassy Girl). Also, normally I don’t like Hindi movies which are inspired by foreign movies, but I think the treatment in Manorama was excellent. And you were very good, of course
This is a good sign; what with Anurag Kashyap, Dibakar, Sriram Raghavan getting sufficient money to make good movies. Recently I was watching Hum Aapke Hain Koun; man, I cringed. It was a really bad movie – can’t believe how I saw it 5 times.
Best of luck for Oye Lucky – I am looking forward to it.
Actually, I have seen Honeymoon Travels also, but that wasn’t very good. You were smiling way too much – guess the role demanded it.
Am actually waiting for a FULL-ON action role starring Abhay Deol. Not in the “BALWANTRAAAIIIII” mode for sure….. Since you do ur stunts and heard there were some in OLLO. Great luck with your choice of scripts….I see you as the only hope for an Edward Norton in India….his choice of subjects…his mold….his irreverence…and his charm of course. May you have you FIGHT CLUB….Your American History X…your Primal Fear (a little old for PF I guess
)
(hope one of them is OLLO and Dev.D)
hi abhay. nice to see you try and reply to all the responses / issues – despite your struggle with the keyboard and despite having to stay awake till late (as Oz pointed out). I understand your disappointment with sections of media – even we media persons are – but there are always exceptions, and I hope you will remember. And yes, hope you continue blogging even after OLLO fever is over…
Abhay,
Its nice to see you here on PFC & open up to us like this.And yes I have always wondered how you guys put up with the “hazaar interviewers” asking the same set of questions again & again.Seen all your 5 films released so far- Socha Na Tha ( always brings a smile on my face when I watch even a bit of it ), Ahista Ahista ( very poignant), Honeymoon Travels ( except for the silly confession scene between you & Minisha Lamba it was fun), Ek Chalis Ki Last Local ( rocking all the way) and Manorama 6 Feet Under ( a bold attempt no doubt).
Looking forward to all your upcoming projects like OLLO,Dev D,Meridian Lines etc.Keep up the good work & do keep interacting here with us.
Man!! Abhay u SIMPLY rock!
I usually get over the crush-over-actors after a while of having watched some great movie…but u keep crushing me to tit-bits after every performance u deliver! i just love u!
Be it the confused brat in Socha na tha.. or the matured person in Manorama.. i cant think of a finer actor for the roles!
Ahista Ahista was the best one u bagged..though the story went haywire in the end.. (i mean how could she chose that long-haired fool over you!?)
ur best-EST was the uncontrollable NILESH in 140 ki last local!
I cant wait to watch Oye lucky lucky oye and Dev D. now!
by the way… cant digest this, that u are writing this blog urself??? or is it just a publicity kinda stunt and someone writing under ur name?
anyways… keep up the gr8 work and loads of luck to you!
Best Wishes…
And now i’m gonna do the typical Punjabi thing!
My mums from the Deol khandaan!
So that makes u my ‘doooooooor ka rishtedaar’ ;-)
Anyways, i’ve always felt that ‘Manorama’ would’ve been a better film had the climax revealed that all the events were enacted from ur book.
See, we are constantly told that things are not what they seem na?
Then all those goldfish just added to the surreal effect. Wahan paani peene ko nahin milta, koi machhali kaise paalega?
That said, I still liked it :-)
Great surprise!
Welcome Abhay. Your blog and the replies are one of the honest pieces I have read in a long time. I am a big fan of Manorama and I must say the requirement of a middle class-contractor with a wife and a child who cnanot deny his urge as a detective has been portrayed excellently. Not only navdeep’s writing, e.g. ‘woh muze meri naakamayabi ki yaad dilati hai’ is fantastic, but I felt the pain when you uttered it. I have personally found these single moments in various films make the actor go up on my list of favorites. I am very eager about Oye Lucky and DevD.
It is an honor to write personally to you. Please keep blogging.
Jateen Gandhi.
@Ankur (83,84)
hehe
Hi namesake.. you don’t need me replying as you were talking to abhay.. but couldn’t resist replying to a comment from someone with such a fantastic name!
actually don’t dismiss a stupendously successful movie like “Hum apke hain koun” just like that..not that even I like it..but it can never be denied that it did manage to catch the attention and earn the appreciation of the majority at the time when it was made.. in today’s context it may seem highly artificial, cliched and cringe-worthy, but in the mid 90’s it did touch a chord for many..i guess even ur’s (why otherwise would u see it for 5 times? )
As far as honeymoon travels is concerned..abhay and minnishha were superhumans.. they represented all that we humans (especially human couples) would ideally like their relationship to be as..but they never manage it anyway..that all smile demeanour was just a way of expressing the perfect world they had built for themselves..where nothing could go wrong..
Abhay,
I have been recently promoting your movies big time!!!! I am just sad that I’ll have to wait a long time before I catch OLLO on DVD :( Good luck with Dev.D and OLLO!
You can count on our support:) After all, the spirit of PFC lies in our PASSION and SUPPORT for good cinema and artists
Just saw your Manorama-Six Feet Under..fantastic movie and a fantastic role of yours in it…i’m promoting it Big Time!!
Welcome to PFC!!!
Hi Abhay,
Nice to see you blogging and responding as well ! The biggest advantage of blogging is that you can tell what you want the way you want it and not the way some News producer/ editor wants. Hence your thoughts will reach to the audience in a much better manner.
Hope you’ll continue blogging and I for one would look forward for a post on your “journey within the industry”.
Good luck with OLLO n Dev.D.
Ohh man…nice to see you commenting back…i guess..when Anurag started blogging..he too was very slow in typing..now only the speed of light and his thoughts beat his speed of typing ;)…good to see you responding to us..feels really nice..lage raho abhay bhai
Vasanbala Im dying to do a full on action movie. But nothing with a good story-line has come my way. I did the few stunts in OLLO but that was climbing gates and buildings and stuff. Things i did when I was a kid.
Utpal of course there are exceptions. Im the last guy to bunch everyone together or judge people. I even consider the fact that the interviewer might present one thing, and the editor might put up another.
Thanks Sneha you made me blush! Yes i am writing this myself, it is for the publicity of OLLO, and its a stunt as far as you consider blogging to be a stunt.
Interesting idea Steve. But how can you be so sure that it is’nt that way already!? Consider this, S.V’s wife left him because he was too involved with his writing and not with the reality around him. In the end she only comes back to him after he finishes his book.
And Sudhir, the ‘Journey’s’ only just begun. Lets see where it end’s up!
@abhay..yes..this is the way..keep blogging…five films you made..five films we all saw..applauded..now we applaud your effort at posting!!
Ok.. I would love to believe you r really writing it urself!!
even if u r not.. I mean.. can i please tell all my pals that i made THE Abhay Deol ‘blush’?? **chuckles**
Jokes apart, i will be looking forward to more posts from ur side! Even if it’s just a publicity stunt, it’s a smart move.. and ’smart’ and ‘abhay’ are kinda synonyms right???
Abbe Vasan, likhein kya full-on action film?
Welcome Abhay. Your USP for me has always been your approachability. It worked best in Ek Chaalis, Manorama was so many more things. I am equally excited about OLLO & Dev D, and will wait to be pleasantly surprised as to what they have to offer more than meets the eye and hits the ears.
http://passionforcinema.com/afterthoughts-ek-chaalis-ki-last-local/
abhay i m looking forward to u working with sriram raghvan
since u mentioned u want to do a good action movie with good storyline IMO sriram raghvan is a director who can direct action movie with substance
i always like action scenes in his movies for example hotel room fight in EHT or tranw fightsequence in Johny gaddar
Hi Abhay,
. I think we often put an actors on pedestals and think that they are really special (which they are, don’t get me wrong… no one entertains us like actors do and that is a HUGE talent) in the sense that they are ‘not-like-us’ 
. But you have been ‘like us’ since your first film. Its been wonderful watching you grow from one film to the other.
. I have a business and I still can’t get to promote myself. I just let people find me. And they do. I guess it is the same with you too. We just find you and enjoy what you do. Anyone who’s interested will do just that, I trust. But yes, in today’s world – especially in the film industry where so much money is at stake – there is a lot of pressure to promote yourself and what you do. And today, you did a great job of it 
.
. All the best! Looking forward to OLLO 
It was so nice to read your post! Really, it just felt like a regular guy, blogging away – sharing his experiences
As for feeling uncomfortable promoting your film, I know what that feels like
Okay, that’s a pretty long comment. I’ll leave you to get back to your job and enjoy it now
Great to see you here abhay! love your work especially in Manorama and 1.40. Any chance of you coming to melbourne… mai bhi ek autograph aur picture ke liye line mai khada rahungaa bhai!
You are truly One actor who stands league apart so keep the good work going bro!
I was really excited when I first read your blog here… but then I kinda got sad thinking that it may only last until the promoting period of your upcoming film. Now I’m just hoping… reallllllllllllllyyyyyyy-really-really-really-really-really hoping that u’ll continue blogging even after the promotion period ends!…
I actually wanted to say that I agree regarding “selling yourself” ‘n “showing yourself” that it all depends on how a person sees it… in my chhoti-si-brainless-duniya mein “showing” your “self” and marketing yourself is the same thing… important part is “how” you market yourself/a product, or whatever that is you are trying to sell… take an example of two identical twins going for an interview… both have same qualifications, but one has better marketing sense than the other.. in this case there is higher chance that a girl with better marketing sense will end up getting that job..
Now the sad thing is… that sometime this ‘marketing’ crosses certain limitations…people tend to do anything and everything to convince others about whatever they are trying to sell regardless of moral values….as an example you gave of your interview. Interviewer asked you about your costars and then used it against you… I guess that was their marketing technique…since they couldn’t get some spice out they simply decided to create it!
All this doesn’t happen only in media… it happens everywhere..be it in a group of friends.. a boy wanting more attention will just twist a whole conversation to make himself look better.. or how about those matrimonial ads in newspapers…I’m not sure if people use those anymore…but in the ads people are actually trying to convince others that their son/daughter/friend/relative is a great catch!
You know I’ve noticed that a sympathy marketing is quite popular..an example I can think of is an article I read few years ago. It was regarding a girl who was trying to get attention and to gain that she simply claimed that she was raped…I am sure there is another word for what she did, but I saw it as marketing… she wasn’t getting attention so she used a strategy, which was for sure to get her some!… she created such a realistic story and convinced her friends/family and even law enforcement.
Basically I am trying to say is marketing is part of our life.. for some its just much easier to cross that line w/o realizing people they’ll be hurting… because they are so much focused on themselves and the final result they are trying to obtain..ANYWAY I think I should definitely stop typing now…I apologize for extending this topic a little toooooo much… but to be honest I’m trying to avoid my work :D …well I wish you all the best for your future work… and I can’t wait to see OLLO..
P.S. don’t worry about your typing speed..if u keep responding and blogging in no time you’ll be typing faster than your thoughts :P .. (which could be a good thing or a bad thing… it just depends on how you look at it ;) )
dont put your bad experience with some journalist as an example of media concern towards actors.aakhir film release ke samay hi to aap media ke saamne aate ho.kabhi fursat mein baat karen to aap payenge ki kitni achchhi aur upyogi baat hoti hai?aur ek farq maan kar chalen…english media aur national(jise aap log vernacular kahte ho) mein farq hai…you people are comfotable with english media only.please correct youself.
Being an artist myself, i know how much motivation we require. It hurts wen good things remain unappreciated. When Socha Na Tha didn’t do as well as was expected at the B.O. I was really disheartened hoping you will not get discouraged. I somehow just wanted to reach you and congratulate for your marvellous screen presence and tell you to carry on with such kind of ‘HATKE’ films! Also when ‘Manorama’ didn’t do so well, I was scared lest you thought of any Sanyaas-from-Bollywood.!
Now I am soooooo glad you are getting so many responses to your blog.. hope this encouragement takes you places.
And may you remember that there are people who keep waiting for your new releases and watching your older films umpteen times!
kenny – dham dhadam dum dishum dishum……yeh yeh….
Vasan…you and Kenny start yaar..I shall hoot all the way for you both..now that you have a lead who wants to do this…
Lovely to see one more sensitive actor on PFC. Liked your upfront and open natured post.
Welcome
To be very honest, I thought you were yet-another-star-kid to litter the already crowded bollywood gen-next, and kept away from the Soch Na Tha. But the next few movies proved me worng. Read in Anurag Kashyap’s post that Dev D is your concept – and now this post! Proves how wrong I was … Best wishes for OLLO and Dev.D.
”And may you remember that there are people who keep waiting for your new releases and watching your older films umpteen times!”
Yes! Sneha ji, ur completely right!
Infact, this is the BEST decision Abhay could’ve taken for his fans who so desperately want to encourage him, and applaud him for his amazing achievements!
Kya actor hain yeh man!
Mazaa aa jaata hain.
Superb performer.
Dekha Mr Deol? See how much ur loved?!
Now don’t u forget it! ;-)
Btw, great film choices too :-)
HORNY JAT
The premise – A man who died in a land dispute in Punjab. His brother had taken over his wife and his land.
A confusion in Chirtagupt’s give him an opportunity to make right what went wrong.
A temporary malfunction-virus in the database gives him an escape route.
He comes back as a Mallu to earth….as he uses a mallu’s wandering soul stuck in transit……he uses the mallu’s body as a portal to come back from chirtaggupt’s GATE to Earth.
The mallu was a “KELARI” expert(martial art form). He dies as a deer’s horn(a weapon) he uses as a ear-bud went in when he was watching a Shakeela film…..
This Jat comes back as a Mallu Hell BOy…with the horns in his ears.
He has time till the Tam-Brams in Heaven clean the virus and reinstall the database.
Woo back his wife and get back his land……
Welcome to PFC Abhay!
I have been a big fan of all your movies till now and it’s a pleasure to have you here on PFC. Hope you do continue to blog even after this much expected movie releases. We PFC fans would love to read more from you for sure…
One helluva story Vasan…movie banaa dalo…casting also do do…
Vasan..ha ha..horn in the ears…poor Abhay will go into perpetual shock at him having to do this..if at all!!
then what happens…and where is the casting..
Mallu soul…dubai returned..let this flower man..
Wah Vasan! What’s the title gonna be? “Horny Kalaripayattu Mallu”
And what wonderful national integration subtext! ;)
“Horny Kalaripayattu Mallu” (Eastmancolor)
Ha Ha !!!
I’m imagining Poster of the Movie,
Today u r being yourself and speaking ur mind out….but tomorrow, you’ll be just another Shah Rukh Khan parading around to promote ur film…
sorry, if i offended u with the above statement…it’s just that..right now, my head is swishing making that hissing sound since overnight’s party…by the way, why the hell am i even writing this down…
the bottom line is…when there’s obsession for something and the grains of abstract thing has settled in your hand…don’t look out for its pros and cons…just hold on to it,and enjoy every damn minute of it…or else-Hallelujah (listen to rammstein’s track..it’ll make u feel better)…
good luck for Oye and Dev D…
welcome to blogging
Sirjee,
Trust me you dont have to be a writer to blog,Pfc will not just be your home,but its going to be the most honest place you’ll see in tinselville! I hope your happy….
Love your dimples!
U sounded so sleepy this morning Abhay!
Can’t believe they called u at 6am in America to come on the radio in the U.K!
I was half asleep myself, and then they announced that ur coming on.
I was under the impression that you’d be back in India, not America, lol!
Well, hope u nodded off eventually :-)
Looks like we’ll have to chase that ‘Meridian Lines’ guy (Vinny??) here in England eh?!
AD bhai,
supposing that you will get two back to back hits with OLLY and D.D will you also become a star? Will you also join the biggies like SRK and do films set only in phoren locales? Will you not be available to be cast in low budget films like now?Please dont become like that no….
a very warm welcome Sir
What a warm way of writing you have and what a candid insight into what must at times be the infuriating price of fame. Whenever I run into someone whose work I admire, I try to think before approaching them. It’s such a difficult balance, between being appreciative and invading their privacy at the moment. Most of the times, it’s almost redundant ‘What great work you do’ or ‘loved your (fill in the name) film’. But ultimately, you are right in saying that if you – the actor, the artist – do not get recognized, it simply means people aren’t seeing your work!
Looking forward to more promoting from you on PFC. It’s truly insightful!
OH, and BTW, it’s a shame about 90 percent of journos being the way they are. They give good people, the 10 percent who only want to know about professional things, a bad wrap. This morning, in a great article in the New York Times, the media covering the red carpet at the MIAAC Film Festival was referred to as “sharp-elbowed journalists”. Brilliant!
lol i remember u were “linked” with soha ali khan when ahista ahista was supposed to be released
then again u were again linked with neha dhupia when ek chalis ki last local released
Hi Abhay!
Welcome to PFC
HI Abhay, I am the VP of a production company based out of LA, and am presently in Mumbai for the remainder of the month to launch a co-production outfit and set up a few projects..There is one project in particular (co-written with Tom Lazarus, ‘Stigmata’) I would like to discuss with you. I can be reached at ;
testtubepictures@yahoo.in
Thanks.
Hey Vasanbala,
Awesome yaar, Horny Jat is leagues ahead of Auto M********!! whatte premise sirjee. Even I had a story in mind… CHANDU BHAI. [title is a tribute to one of my most revered RGV flicks]
The Premise:
Chandan, an orphan & a young officer of the Indian Navy has to get his 5th & last sister married. All his finances have gotten drained out in getting the other sisters married. The sister in concern (youngest) is his most deearest & she fondly calls him Chandu Bhai.
For some reason, Chandu Bhai is unable to gather the funds required to get his sister married. He is already so much in debt that the only thing he can do is let his sister down by postponing her marriage till he can arrange OR screw up a naval mission & get money from the enemy.
Being the only guardian, he has to marry off his sisters before he himself gets married. Now his relationship is also screwed up cuz, the girl’s parents disapprove of their relation, cuz he is in navy. He is jacked from all sides. He has to elope with his girl after he gets his loving sister married to the Shetty NRI who is on a very short bride shopping trip.
With very little time on hand, he chooses to blow up the mission. Either ways, his issue is sorted out. If he pulls it off, he can get the money & live happily everafter. If not, he will die by the hands of the enemy & wash his hands off the whole messy affair that his life was.
Will his loving sister come to his rescue / will the NRI Shetty co-operate / will his girl mends things (her dad is the chief of army staff) / will Chandu Bhai’s seniors intercept his heist / will his comrades help him out in his plan or will Chandu Bhai die???
What say???
Hi,
I didn’t expect such a well written piece from you. You come across as a very level headed and clear thinking person. By the way, how can you not promote your film? This is the age of media and marketing. Not only films but people also are constantly marketed. There are so called ‘kings’ surviving solely on relentless media hype and nothing else. So, accept this reality for the good of everybody associated with the film.
Awesome effort Magik. Chandu Bhai could be made… may be by Shriram Sir or Shimit Amin… best of lucks.
@ Steve, at #89,
“Anyways, i’ve always felt that ‘Manorama’ would’ve been a better film had the climax revealed that all the events were enacted from ur book.See, we are constantly told that things are not what they seem na?”
I am not sure but I guess you watch David Lynch, more than enough to apply to Manorama. The ‘illusion’ is an underlying theme, not the idea behind the story. “illusion’ is the treatment of screenplay, not story.
Jateen ji, hum toh chhotte shaher ke chhotte aadmi hain.
Yeh David ki picturein humko samajh mein nahin aati :-)
Well, Abhay bhaiya has given me that ’samasya ka hal’ with his take on what may have happened.
Humne apna nazariya badal diya :-)
Hi Abhay,
Good to see your blog and hope you’ve been well. I have been a film journalist for 15 years now and totally endorse your view on my profession. It’s disgusting and humiliating at the best of times. However, I think if an actor wants to guard his/her privacy, then even while answering questions, they must restrict themselves to speaking of their work and their profession and not serenade the media when they want to promote a film. And when you encounter stupid questions, why not try and say it like it is? We also need actors who’re prepared to put the media in place.
It is possible to guard your privacy and it is possible to ward off controversy. I think someone like Sachin Tendulkar sets the perfect example. Despite being a celebrity, he managed to have a private wedding and has kept his life firmly out of the limelight without ever being impolite with the media. At the same time, he’s spoken to the press only when necessary and as much as it was strictly required.
Moreover, being on the other side of the fence, let me also tell you that most actors I’ve interviewed have nothing remotely intelligent to say. You may be an exception to the norm in Hindi cinema, because intellect is generally conspicuous by its absence and the process of speaking to mediocre actors (and filmmakers, I might add) with no real passion for the profession beyond quick fame and money is as humiliating for a journalist. It’s far more rewarding to speak to cinematographers and editors and writers who are really interested in the cinema and its growth.
A lot of Hollywood actors have managed to retain their dignity and guard their privacy despite the all-pervasive intrusion of the paparazzi. So it can’t be impossible to achieve. And given the fact that you’ve chosen to work on your terms and not make professional compromises, it should be that much easier.
love and best wishes,
Deepa Gumaste
Steve-ji,
Aapki bhaasha ne to hamara nazariya badal diya. Hamne socha aap “Angrej” ho par aap to “desi” nikale. Shayad wo mera “illusion” tha.
@ Deepa – I started to agree with you, about the profession being “disgusting and humiliating at the best of times”. But I have to disagree with you as well, about actors and filmmakers not having anything to say. I have been lucky enough to meet only persons – from Boman Irani, to Liz Mermin, to Samrat Chakrabarti – who have filled my articles with interesting points. I think it all depends on the questions asked and the hours of research before sitting before one’s subject. And staying away, at all costs, from those pesky personal questions. If the public wants to read about girlfriends, boyfriends and such, they can refer to Stardust, or People!
Ha ha Nina well said! I think both you and Deepa are well spoken and conscientious people and prove the point that it is up to the individual to get what they want keeping their integrity and the dignity of the person being interviewed. Its not a perfect world and and there’s going to be good and bad. Deepa are’nt you the one who interviewed me for Elle? I have a terrible memory but I remember you did a wonderful interview and I loved the article you wrote. You didnt come with an agenda and thats what made the interview so much of a casual conversation and you presented me with so much positivity. Must thank you for that (and I hope it is you im talkin about, or else thats another Deepa!) Nice one baarish! You obviously put a lot of thought into what you said. Its not an easy part of the job (marketing) because so many more people are involved, its hard to keep track of all that is going on. I guess thats why its so tiring and annoying when things dont go the way you hoped they would. Manjushaa I didnt say I dont want to promote my film. I think enough has been said about that. Regarding ‘hype’, I stay far away from that, Im not interested in selling myself, I end up doing that through my films anyway so I dont see the point. Anveshi, I do hope for the success of my films. The bigger the better why not? There’s nothing wrong in doing big budget movies as long as no one gets burned in the process and only few reap benefits. As far as low budget is concerned, if i find myself in a place where my market is good and there is a subject that does’nt need a big budget and I love the script ofcourse id do it. There already is one such subject and Im producing it myself next year. Problem is getting the funding. The subject is quite tragic (as if Romeo and Juliet was’nt), and the director will be making his debut. Im hoping these two films will be BIG at the BO so i can make this film as a result of.
Uff ho Abhay ji!
Hum log hain na aap ki film ki funding ke liye!
Aap bas bolo kitna chahiyeh?
Hum aise, waise ya taise aap ke kadamon mein paise bikher denge ;-)
Jateen ji, hum angrez bhi hain aur desi bhi .
Punjabi bhi, aur Japaani bhi!
Illusion pe hi duniya kaaym hai!
Kuch samjhe? :-)
Oh and the theatrical trailer of OLLO was very interesting!
Can’t wait!
Abhay, I’m curious about the film that you are producing. Tragic one for a debut as producer. Not unusual for you and def not so but it sounds interesting.
Do fill us in on that some time later. Will keep track. Thanks. All the best!
Hey Abhay Bhayya,
Im a huge fan of urs since socha na tha.. I loved the movie and though both your and ayesha’s acting was very natural.. I wont say that im really excited abt OLLO however i may watch it.. Its great to cya blogging! :D
Pooja
Hi Abhay,
Yes, I did the Elle interview last year. I don’t think it’s difficult being honest, nor impossible to stick to one’s convictions. But being different from the herd and not feeling pressured to join them takes some courage and demands risk of failure. Am truly impressed with your career choices so far, and hope you won’t change course if the going gets tough.
Nina, I’m not for a moment suggesting that ALL actors have nothing to say. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to name the A-list actors from Hindi cinema whom I’ve interviewed and come away terribly disappointed. Perhaps they’re too caught up with living in a bubble. I wouldn’t deride anyone for being the way they are, but if you’re a journalist who’s really passionate about cinema and not at all star struck (or opportunistic, I might add), there’s very little serious stuff available to write about — either in terms of our cinema itself, or the people associated with it.
Steve you should be writing dialogues for David Dhawan! Thanks for the offer. Will keep you posted Arthi, when the time is right. Yes Deepa, people in the industry do live in a bubble. But instead of feeling frustrated i think its better to feel compassionate about them. After all there is a world out there to explore, atleast your aware of it. If you want meaningful stuff to write about you must go out there and find it. If talking to the A-listers has got you nowhere look around in places where perhaps you would not. Its an exciting time in the industry and as long as you dont limit yourself to doing the usual, the possibilities are endless. Look at it this way, if there ever was a time to be at the forefront of a movement, it is now!
Arre wah humre hero! :-)
Tum woh pehle insaan ho jisne sahi pehchaana!
Funny u should mention David Chacha(hee hee), as all I thought of whilst sitting through ‘Dostana’ was how much I enjoyed David’s ‘Deewana Mastana’ so much.
Ek baar meri lottery lagne de! U won’t have to ask twice!
I guess u could always take a leaf outa Lucky’s book and find ‘alternative’ ways of funding ur fillum na? ;-)
On a different note, India has so many stories to tell that they don’t need external inspirations.
Do u agree?
Again, have to agree with Deepa and I’ll look out for your interview!
If you are willing to work hard, make unpopular choices and move away from the heard – while feeling like you are swimming upstream – you will eventually succeed. It will be a harder road, no doubt, but in the end, you will be a trendsetting, instead of a boring trend follower. That being true for acting, writing, directing or life in general.
Abhay, thank you for the vote of confidence and keep doing what you’re doing. It’s all great!
Oh, meant “HERD” not “HEARD” Oops! OH, and that’s trendsetter. WOW, it must be the weather, sorry everyone!
Deepa Gumaste & Neena…
It has been a good while since i’ve picked up a copy, but I do remember thinking that Screen India was perhaps the most fact based film paper around.
Would u agree?
There was never any of this ‘apparently’ this or such and such actor was seen getting up to whatever.
I used to find that such a clean paper to read.
I’ve noticed how FilmFare has become very gossip based over time.
Is Screen India just as uncorrupted even now??
Yes Abhay, I agree with you. And one always lives on hope.
It is possible to make one’s way even at the worst of times, so I’m not dejected at all. My only argument is, neither film stars nor film journalists, nor the films we make themselves, inspire much confidence.
Steve, I haven’t seen a recent issue of Screen. But I don’t think any mainstream publication can be free of influence and pressures in these times. Screen has its own awards to run, so I don’t see how the magazine can be unbiased. I’ve seen full-page promotional ads of films in Screen and one presumes if you’re putting money for placing an ad, you’re not going to like unflattering stuff being written about you.
I guess ur right, Deepa Gumaste…
I didn’t look at it like that.
But can I add here that my tiny interaction with a handful of film folk has thankfully been refreshing and relatively ‘normal’.
Maybe i’m fortunate to be an admirer of certain personalities who are extremely grounded people.
Meeting people like Rahman, Konkona Sen, and especially Kavita Krishnamurthy has left me optimistic, that u can be incredibly talented, yet still be human, and not some power tripping demi god.
However, sadly there are other ‘behind the scenes’ film folk who have shocked me with their behaviour and attitude!
I guess it’s the same in any field though.
But I have to say, considering that Kavita Krishnamurthy is, IMO, one of the greatest singers in India, her interaction with people on a general level is highly admirable.
It gives u alot of faith when u come across people in this field, who have the same time for someone like myself, who’s not a part of that world, so to speak…
@ Steve & Deepa
In my opinion Screen is still basically sticking to the same age old concept that it has been following.So what if they have full page promo ads for films, I dont really see that being an enabler for them to write great on a movie if itsnt great.
I’ve seen ads on Screen for movies like ” Pranali-The Daasi” ( have you heard of it?
) & I think even Desh Drohi is featured, so do you think Screen will do jay-jaykar for these movies too???
Its just a way for them to make money & in return these movies get publicity thats all
@ Steve
Oh!ho yeh kar diya aapne? By reminding me of Deewana Mastana you’ve made me get nostalgic again.Saw it again a few weeks ago on T.V & believe I still laughed on a lot of occasions
@ Abhay
After seeing your act in Ek Chalis Ki Last Local even I wondered maybe sometime you should do something like a Deewana Mastana also apart from the “heavy” films.I think you’ll pull it off easily.
Lol, yes i’ve heard of ‘Pranali’…
I do want to get my hands on Screen again though, as it covers all kinds of cinema and doesn’t restrict itself to just Hindi films.
That said, it’s been around 9-10years since I last got a copy.
Deepa, another thing I must say here is that it may not be a perfect paper, but it played a HUGE part in opening my eyes to the variety of cinema being made in India.
I hadn’t even heard of Malayaalam, Tamil, Telugu films before that.
I do have alot of appreciation for Screen.
Sethu ji? Heavy? Abhay’s films?
Kaunsi?
His films are probably the most halki-phulki refreshing films of recent times.
I even found ‘Manorama’ quite light.
And ‘Deewana Mastana’ iss liye, coz that was far more progressive than ‘Dostana’!
Atleast the climax was original and surprising!
Allah!
Well Steve I would certainly rate Abhay’s films as overall halki- phulki & refreshing no doubt.I was just referring to public perception of movies like Manorama & Ahista Ahista- though I just loved them
‘Ahista Ahista’ isn’t a film that I liked much.
But, it was the film that made me realise how talented our boy is!
For some reason, I didn’t notice it in ‘Socha Na Tha’.
But ‘Ahista Ahista’ was too ahista a film for me!
Add to that, Soha Ali Khan was so wooden.
I loved her in ‘Rang De..’ and ‘Khoya Khoya Chand’ but if i’m honest, I find her to be so unexpressive.
Except in those two films obviously.
But yeah, it was after this film that I sat up and took notice of Abhay :-)
Steve: ‘Ahista Ahista’ isn’t a film that I liked much…??
Sneha: I liked it.
Steve: But, it was the film that made me realise how talented our boy is! For some reason, I didn’t notice it in ‘Socha Na Tha’.
Sneha: I would rate his ‘Socha Na Tha’ performance about 2-3 points above Ahista Ahista! Though he was too good in Ahista Ahista too, He played the brat very well in ‘SNT’ which will always remain a TOP favorite amongst his female fan-following, for sure!
About the story of Ahista Ahista, I remember seeing a tele-film on Doordarshan ages back which had the same story. I thought AA took the plot from there….
Ending is apt. It re-iterates the character of the court marriage witness. The usual way out would have seemed too forced…
Sneha, I do remember liking ‘Socha Na Tha’ and thinking that Ayesha Takia was wonderful.
But…Pata nahin, Abhay didn’t stand out for me?
I’m sure he must’ve been good, he always is, but I just didn’t notice.
In ‘Ahista..’ he didn’t even look like what he did in ‘Socha..’ and resembled Dharm so much!
I thought, ”Oh THAT’S the same guy from ‘Socha’?!’
And ofcourse, he played that character wonderfully.
It was then that I woke up to the A.D magic!
I’m a bit absent minded.
Maybe I should see it again.. :-)
Indeed. Ayeshia Takia was laajawaab. “Tum Dhakan Ho”. She is getting married and leaving films. Unfortunately, she is not getting married to me. Sighs.
Yes Steve May be you should see it again.. I can’t stop watching it again and again.. May be bcos ‘SNT’ being his first film, I got much more than what was expected from any newcomer.. And I’d not want to compare his work or his resemblance wid anyone..
For me, Abhay is the ‘preferred’ Deol!
Hey Abhay!
Would LOVEEEE to see you and Ayesha work together yet again.. May be a “Socha Na tha-2″
Pleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaassssssssssseeeeeeeeeee!
Oh she’s been getting married for ages Honhaar!
Ayesha’s gonna be around for years.
Oh, but Honhaar, u could always watch her in ‘No Smoking’ and ‘Y.H.T.K.Hota’, Ahem!
Sneha, ji haan, he’s an individual etc, but outa all the Deols, he’s the one that reminds u of Dharm.
Well, not ‘YOU’ obviously, but me ;-)
@ honhaar goonda…
i share ur sentiments brother…..
Mr Farhan Azmi is one luck bas****.
have been crazy about her since ages…..
infact i wanted to maary her since socha na tha….
@ Abhay
it was by chance i saw socha na tha in a theatre. and it turned out to be a pleasant surprise…
eagerly awaiting OLLO and DEV. D..
i suppose u have completed these two movies..
r u workin on any movie currently?
Good to see you blog. See you around in NYC…Will be there on Nov 24 – Pauline passed us the invite going around.
Komal
@Abhay/Dibakar
I just saw “OYE LUCKY OYE”, I must tell u I have just fallen in love with your film. Outstanding Performances by all the actors, excellent dialogues, tight screenplay 130mins.
Right from the title sequence (it is a Paisa Vasool sequence) till the freezing moment of Lucky in the climax the entire film is brilliant. I am finding it very difficult to search for the right superlatives for this film.In a long time guys such a fresh subject with the smell of the environment has been woven so well in the film format.
Paresh Rawal after Mumbai meri jaan has come up with another trump card in 3 performing roles and you know what nobody is asking how come all 3 different characters look alike , the audience is so involved in the mannerisms of those characters there is no time for them to think in that direction ,ACE !!!
Abhay Deol, what a marvellous natural performance he has given,he has played the con-artist/thief to the T, his biggest commercial successfull film till date and this is going to benefit DEV.D opening collections too ,mark my words,Another ACE !!!
And the music WITH supporting actors is your third ACE !!!
CONGRATS TO THE ENTIRE UTV TEAM AND THE DIRECTION TEAM,
An Outstanding FILM EXPERIENCE !!!
GK
Hey Abhay!
Among the new breed of actors, u r the most talented…i remember i watched ur Sochna na tha with the least expectations n till date it rates as my all time favorite movie. Ur performance in manorama shud have earned u a filmfare, if at all it were not inclined towards popularity of masala movies!
On a selfish note Abhay, I have a wonderful story idea, its very novel n i see noone other than u as its protagonist. If u n Mr Dibakar are interested enough, plz contact me n i will share the story with u….
I know u might be getting myriad such claims everyday, but trust me, this is the best of the lot….
U ppal value ‘gut-feeling’ a lot in ur industry, so if u get even the slightest hint of that feeling upon reading this, do give me a call @ 09789033150 or mail me at napolean_indian@yahoo.co.in
i know its rather mean of me to promote my story in a form where u r supposed to promote ur movie, but I see this as my only hope!
best of luck for Lucky:)
in a few words….but true words…
- Yashaswi
tahanks a lot mr desai for appriciating the movie, i m the 1st ad of the film .hope fill will rock on the box office
thanks
Saw OLLO on Monday eve, here at the NYC screening at NYU and the film rocks! And, of course, another winning performance by you, Abhay Deol!
Seriously, as wonderful and insightful as the script is, as great as Mr. Rawal’s triple-threat performances are, the film would not exist, would not be sold to me without you. Lucky Singh – and all that makes him who he is – belongs to you. Your performance is so subtle, yet so charged with nearly tangible emotions and chuck-full of charisma. It’s really a pleasure to watch you cheat, steal and evade your way through it all. No wonder New Yorkers felt inspired by your character and stole all the posters hanging in the lobby at the UTV screening?!
Hey Abhay….I am a big fan of yours… I just love the cinema and character you chose.
I have watched Socha na tha so many times…
You are doing great job…
Sushant//
Abhay, you’ve now managed to add yet another person to the list of your fans. Till yesterday I hadn’t seen any of your other films. I had followed your personal life, except guessing that you might be related to the other filmy Deols by way of your last name.
Yesterday I went to see Oye Lucky Lucky Oye and was amazed by your performance. You effortlessly brought alive a composite of guys I grew up with in Delhi – quick witted, street smart kids whose ambitions far exceed their means. None of them actually hustled through life like Lucky, but you made his choices in life very believable.
The scene I loved the most is when Lucky drives around at night with his friend, stealing stuff at random, almost unable to stop and driven by a compulsive need to prove himself. It was very well done.
And gosh – I looked up your interviews and you don’t speak like Lucky at all (not that I expected you to, unless you grew up in Delhi. Mercdee – that was excellent!). How did you learn to speak like that?
And now seeing you in this film has convinced me to go see Dev.D as well. Keep making interesting films (and go do commercial blockbusters intermittently if that’s what it takes to keep you in the business long term).
Hey Abhay,
As it’s usually pretty encouraging to read nice reviews, here’s one that I thought might be worth a glance:
http://www.upperstall.com/films/2008/oye-lucky-lucky-oye
Hello Abhay:
I am located in toronto and the movie Oye Lucky was released this week here *i think*. I just came back after watching it with my family. I enjoyed it very much. congratulations to you and everyone else who was part of the film for making a successful film even with your limited ability as salesman. I completely understand what you said about not being a salesman. what i hate most about the working world(graduated few years ago) is the part that involves going for an interview and talking about yourself and actually selling your skills and degree. In the end you get rejected for under selling yourself.
“capturing the many nuances of Delhi and its people” Hahaha I would like to believe not all of delhi is like the way the movie depicts. I love that city inspite of its flashiness. I do agree though that the director did a good job.
In order to make the sort of movies you are a part of you need to enjoy and love what you do and not do it for the by products i.e. things that come with being a popular star. I always thought those who become actors/heros/actresses need to be completely in LOVE with themselves. It is only when you r totally obsessed with yourself can you sell or market your self better and become a star or a “HERO” or get a job easily. And maybe I will adapt soon enough and learn to fake this self obsession but i will keep my fingers crossed hoping that you never learn it. It will be a loss.
Oh gosh what a horrid typo! What I meant to say was “I hadn’t followed your personal life” as opposed to what’s written above making me sound like a creepy stalker.
4258 views of your blog! That’s great promotion.
Congratulations on the release and the success
of the film. :-) All the best with everything.
hi abhay…
Bhai aapki acting ka kayal to main aapki first movie se hi tha… but is movie se to all Aamir, Salman, John are behind you….
Class movie… Class acting…. Class Music….
Hi abhay,
Moreover i am waiting for your upcoming movie directed by Anurag Kashyap….. May god give u all the success….
Hey Abhay,
I read this post only after watching OLLO. I was looking for an online forum/blog to let you know you are fantasTiC!! Loved every minute of your character in the movie. I am actually going to rent your older movies now since you have left such a great impression on me. Thanks so much for bringing acting and character back into Bollywood. Was getting sick of same old slick n tried and tested formula films from all the industry.
Keep up the great work and you have a certified fan in Manhattan. Just leme know if u have a website etc where we can express our thoughts and also know about your upcoming projects. Keep making us smile!
ps- hope you and your family and friends are safe in Bombay.
hi abhay…………..i saw ur movie twice today….n i realllllllllyyyyyyyyyy like u n movie also…………i find u too cute….down to earth person………..can’t get over u after seeing u again. u’ve done it again after socha na tha.. 1:40 ki last local……….ur choice of movies is amazing…..keep up the good work…………HOPE TO MEET U………..SHWETA
YOUR MOVIES ARE REALLY GOOD AND I REALLY LIKE YOUR VOICE…LOL
BUT SERIOUSLY…YOUR AWESOME AND YOUR ACTING IS EVEN MORE AMAZING…!!!
AND I THINK YOUR WHOLE PROMOTING THING IS LIKE SOO TRUE
ANYWAYS..I HOPE YOU KEEP GIVING GOOD MOVIES..!!
TAKE CARE
PEACE OUT =)
Deol saab, it’s unfortunate that I wasn’t in the right frame of mind whilst watching ‘Oye Lucky’ the 1st time around.
However, I went back to watch it twice today!
I honestly loved it.
It scores on all levels! Performances, narrative, music, cinematography, dialogues!
A highly engrossing film.
Touched me, especially in the subtle scenes.
Quite an interesting character study too.
And I know u don’t enjoy all the fawning, but u were exceptional.
U actually exceeded my expectations!
Brilliant! :-)
Good movie.
Brilliant choice of movies. Great job. N yes you managed to sell yr movie very well with some very good writing up here on yr blog. Coming straight from a Communications Consultant
Would really like to talk. meet you sometime.
it was wonderful to read you, i have liked your work from the very first film, i forgot its name but was with ayesha takia, with two red and blue arrows in the logo,(god i still cant remember the name).
i have seen all your films, and like the choice of your films. they are so fictional at the very time very real. all your films are contradictory in itself. hope its not the last time you are writing just for a promotional work and do keep writing there are lots of fans who want to read you. and someday want to see you acting, directing, writing and producting your films so that you can have complete freedom.
Hi…Abhay.This is my absolutely first ever comment/appreciation to any actor.Have by chance watched couple of ur movies…and u can imagine how good and sincere ur performance is that its forced a doctor like me to mail u my appreciation.Really!ur work reflects the kind of sincerity u put in ur work…but there’s something else that i wish to put across..I have never seen u associated with any medical/social cause.?Anyways…if at all u go through this…whole write up… i expect a personal reply..cause im no fan of urs…but jst appreciating ur good work.byeee
Abhay, recently watched “Oye Lucky Lucky Oye”, I also watched “Ek Chalis ki last Local” few months back. I felt that you are a really good actor and I can promise you that you have a very promising career ahead
thanks for acting buddy…
@Abhay Deol: There is no doubt that he is one of the most talented actors of the current generation.
Of course the fact which distinguishes him from other fine actors like Sharmaan Joshi, Shiny Ahuja etc. is his choice of movies. All his movies so far have been small, quirky, fresh movies. All of them have been with new directors and mostly with debutants.Even Ahista Ahista the least successful of his movies was objectively speaking not a bad movie at all.
Finally in Abhay Deol we have our lead actor, our ‘hero’ of unconventional movies who looks the character and not himself in his movies. While, there are other immensely talented actors like vinay pathak, saurabh shula, ranvir shorey in this space, none of them can carry a movie on their shoulders by stepping in the shoes of our quintessetial ‘hero’ (barring an odd Mithya or Dasvidaniya) . This is wherein lies the importance and success of Abhay Deol.
May he continue to be this careful in his movie selection and not be lured by the attempts to be made another Shah Rukh Khan. Though, to be fair to Abhay, its not going to so easy for him as he starts getting more and more commercial success stsrting with OL,LO.
@Oye Luck! Luck Oye!: It would juvinile to even argue that it is not a good movie, it of course is and definitely desertves a watch especially since it comes close on heels of aweful stuff like Dostana. But it would be equally amature to consider it a great movie. It is not. It falls short of being a great movie by a considerable margin. The biggest weakness of the movie lies in its lack of plot as opposed to say Khosla ka Ghonsla which had an excellent plot. OLLO on the other hand is more of a character sketch than storeytelling and while there is nothing wrong with making a movie out of that, OLLO does not stay true to itself. There are parts where is tries to be too cool for itself. Paresh Rawal playing three different characters was not required. In a movie which goes like a biopic what with realistic sepia photographs, it certainly appears out of sync. Of course, we know its been done before and in theatre especially actors play different characters within the same play quite often but this attempt at metaphoriacal or surreal made no sense considering the rest of the movie.
The fact that in the end there is no twist disappoints a lot of people and while the director should be credited with not giving in to the temptation of that so expected twist, the ending is bit too obscure. OLLO starts off as a roller coaster entertainer (with the loud title track et al.) but ends as an introspecting, ‘life analysing’ movie. Somehow, they seem parts from two completely different movies.
All said and done , it is a very funny movie. Its strength lies in its authentic capture of language. This is the way people speak and this is the way they should be shown speaking in movies(not like “hum aapse bepannah mohabbat karte hain”. Humour comes on its own.
Hi Abhay, Are you familiar with the work of Mark Ruffalo? Both your looks and acting style remind me of him.
Hi Abhay,
I loved your movie ‘Oye lucky’ and your acting is superb especially your expressions in the whole film. It was a laugh riot when i watched your movie. Superb performance by you!!
I think you have become iconic for the new generation by doing different roles and just being yourself. Moreover, You are very good looking. I love to watch your movies over and over again.
Watched OLLO today. Also had previously seen Manorama Six Feet Under (not fully, since halfway through, it seemed a poor attempt at recreating Jack Nicholson-starrer “Chinatown” in Hindi) and Ek Chalis Ki Last Local. Its really awesome that you pick offbeat movies (the Hindi film industry desperately needs an anti-Shahrukh Khan and you are filling in very well, if you know what I mean) and there is always a sizeable number of good-movie-starved people in this country and that’s where you shall always have a secure fan-following– I am sure, being a theatre person, you appreciate that .
Having said this, there are a few points I would like to note (of course, I am no professional critic, but as a viewer, I thought I’d give my response):
1. In some ways, the guy who did younger Lucky seemed more appealing to me. Probably, because, alongside his confidence and suavity (which you too showed), he had a bit of hesitation in him, which was completely missing in you. Maybe, this was intended, maybe by the time, Lucky grew up, his hesitations had vanished. That’s quite okay, all I am saying is if you did try to show some indecisiveness ever in your character, it did not show up.
2. Your impassive face is your biggest asset, but probably you use it a bit too much, to the extent that sometimes, in a situation where the audience needs to know how you are feeling, he still has no clue. Sometimes, a little biting of the lips or a little hardening of your jaws might help. Probably you do all this, but somehow, it does not have the impact.
Anyway, I just said what I felt. But I can’t deny the fact that at this point, I would sit down and watch every movie of yours and then judge it —unlike what I usually do with Shahrukh, decide not to watch a movie as soon as I know he is there in it. After all these comments, it does not need repeating that it’s just because more people like you are coming up that the Hindi movie industry still earns respect from INTELLIGENT audiences. People like Ranvir Shorey, Vinay Pathak, Boman Irani, Shaurabh Shukla (an aside, plz ignore this : you still have a long way to go to catch up with any of them)
Also please keep blogging. It’s probably one of the best ways an actor can communicate with his audiences.
Hi Abhay, I could go on about the movie so I won’t…already had a tiny(by my standards)attack of verbosity on your co-star Richa’s post. All I’m going to say is what you have righfully earned as an actor…I’ve watched most of your movies and enjoyed them all to varying degrees. I’ve always been aware that you’ve gravitated towards interesting scripts and often picked up dvds solely because you were an actor in the movie(all pirated ones from indian stores in sydney where I currently live I’m afraid). having said that I’ve not been over the moon about your acting…not that I found it shite, I just wasn’t grabbed by it completely though suitably intrigued…that has changed after Oye Lucky…take a bow man, this is a motherluvin TRIUMPH !!!!!! Anirban (above my comment) is entitled to his opinion but I can’t compare this performance to any of your peers…the way you’ve essayed lucky is fucking phenomenal…hor mein dilli da munda aan kake, mainu pata e kinna khaalas e twada potrayal…I’ve been a slightly shady guy in the mix in dilli shehar, atleast obliquely interacting with the luckys, bangalis, gogis, inspector devendar singhs and sippas…from “kaun si chaiyye sirji ?” you were on and never let up…this is a defining moment for you atleast in the eyes of one film buff…I’ll be back in Delhi for keeps in six months after 11 years away…I’m a musician who came to australia to study contemporary music and fell in love with someone here so stayed…wandered into the finance industry and made a run of it as a career and am returning to be a musician again…jugni aukhe aukhe khed rachaundi e. while I’d made the decision a year or so ago and only returned to make some fall back money before taking the plunge “oye lucky” further reinforced my enthusiasm for the new rising pop cultural expression that I just have to add my two cents into. Thank you for the work you’ve put in, the only thing that’ll give you some perspective for my enthusiasm for the movie is that I’ve owned the dvd for 8 days and have watched the movie 9 times now – and all while working long hours for most of those days hahahaha !!! I have an appetite I guess
, but I’m discriminating in my own way…you guys hit the spot with this one in fact you absolutely bludgeoned the spot !
Hey Abhay…
Keep up the good (actually…excellent) work! Follow your heart and instincts…your fans love/admire you for it!
I’m an artist by hobby (it’s getting more serious), and am constantly inspired by movies and stories…
iranian films are excellent no doubt, but i urge you to take a look at other indie films as well, including one of my faves – french!
have fun and do it well!
Nik.
Abhay baba, as I stepped out of OLLO, why was I feeling I had seen some Scorcese work in the film—dunno why but it troubled me for almost a week when a film student from London told me ‘buddhu dibakar banerjee is a martin scorcese chela’—and after that i’ve been preening all over my intellect
Here’s The Bitch’s take on OLLO. Pretty Neat!!!
http://www.bombaybitch.com/site/oye_lucky_lucky_oye/
WOW- Lucky is great
I really loved the movie. Great!!!
Abhay, You did great job. I have become FAN of yours after seeing this.
Such a nice job.
Hi Abhay
Lemme start by saying, you are an awesome actor. The way you emote, deliver dialogues, laugh….makes movie watching fun. I enjoyed oye lucky, lucky oye and the one with soha. my husband enjoyed the movies too (he’s had enough of the masala remakes in hindi.
keep up the good work and enjoy your movies.
Hi Abhay
I am Jasmine from Down Under! I liked your performance in Socha Na Tha and Ahist Ahista.
All the very best to you for a good future. Please continue to do interesting roles. The song dance routine movies will eventually come your way (for commerical success).
As for fan adulation, give yourself time. You will soon learn to accept compliments with a smile, sign autographs and neatly deflect questions on your mobile number etc like a pro.
cheers
NEVER CHANGE MAN
Hi Abhay,
Hv posted an article about you on PFC. Plz g othru it, if u can, and leave a word of comment / compliment. Tht wud make my day…
Thx.
hi ABHAY , i think i m nw member of ur blog … n this is 1st time tht m writin dis for an actor… u r really one of them to whom i can say… “ACTORS” u performed so well in your all movies n i saw ollo yesterday . n i waz so happy to watch it. i really like tht u r loyal to ur work tht gives birth to nw innovative ideas . i wish u achieve all desired success, m one of ur biggest fans.. u always seem realistic.. i like dis most . .. all da best again
ANU
U did a great job in the movie n ur pucca delhi wala style enough to make sure that I am also in your fan list.Good job mate keep it up.Best Of Luck
Dude…effortless acting n kool performance.
heyyyyy one thing tumhara b’day 15th march ko hai na mera 5th ko hai… so “yaad rakhna” ..
hi abhey…im nikhil from gurgaon….i just wanted to let you know that i am your biggest fan…i hate hindi movies but watching your movies i dont feel like im getting bored.the only hindi movies that i buy original dvds are yours.ive seen all your movies at least 10 times..the best thing me and all my friends find about you is that you do not do movies of the same kind.All the movies you have done are unique(as per the acting skills).I think you have better acting skills than all the khans put together.you are the future of bollywood man! keep up the good work and the rest ill tell you when ill meet you someday…lol
your biggest fan.nikhil
just yesterday i happened to watch Kidnap.. nice movie.. I sat thinking.. Amongst actors today, Imran is quite impressive…
Then I went back to Socha Na Tha..
Apne Abhay me jo ‘charm’ hai… woh kisi aur me kaha!???
Hola Dude!
Always appreciated you choice of movie scripts and the potential performance you always put in .
Unlike others have mentioned here, I undoubtedly see some real flawless efforts made in distinct parts of OLLO. One of which is towards the end of the movie; when you were sitting on a chair beside a table lamp `n speaking to the girl you love over the phone (just before you get arrested); the variation of your mood `n the way you potrayed it really touched me. Keep up the great work man. You are surely going places.
All the best for Dev D. High hopes from you and the film.
Hi,
I’m a 28 year old woman and way past the teenage crushes. But that doesn’t deter me from saying that I’m a big admirer of yours. I have seen most of your movies and liked them more than any of the blockbusters. As an NRI and a person who watches both English and Hindi movies, I find it a huge relief that all of your films are originals and still very good, which has become quite rare in bollywood today.
Me and my husband watched Oye Lucky recently and liked it very much. Its a piece of art.
I’m looking forward to seeing a lot more of you on the big screen in future. Keep up the good work.
Dear Abhayji,
I am a great fan of yours. You are in a movie is enough reason for me to watch it and believe it that it would be a good movie. Please keep doing good and meaningful movies and one day you would be successful commercially as well, coz you deserve it.
With best wishes,
hi Abhay i saw this movie almost six to seven times in theater i am a big fan of this movie i like the simplicity and the cast performing so well wish u all the best
Hi Abhay,
Saw your film rather late…last week and have loved it. Been recommending it to others like there’s no tmrw.
I find your acting very refreshing and natural, and you pulled the role off with elan.
Keep doing more such stuff.
ciao
Hey A,
I wonder if you will ever come back and check on the comments your fan have left you.
I just want to tell you that you have the best profile (Greek God) in the business and you should use it to your advantage. Make sure your director and the camera man knows this.
I of course admire you for your work but I want you to get very popular and successful…you deserve it…so you must use every asset you have to your advantage. Most people are superficial and go only for looks instead of talent so you must use your handsome profile besides your talent.
My fav’ scene in Socha Na Tha was when you deadpanned….why do dreams come true?!!….It was hilarious.
I am a big Amitabh”s fan but now i wait for your movies more then his ones.Keep on doing the good work.My whole family has become your fan and we will never miss any of your movie.I watched socha na tha last year only and became your fan the same day. waiting for Dev D .
Hi Abhay,
I am new to this blog, just got to know from one of my friend so thot will check it out. I am not a BIG fan of any actors as such but i like watching movies which makes sense and where the actor does some justice to the role. Me and my friends are total BOLLYWOOD buff (like rest of India) but we prefer watching movies where at the end of the movie you appreciate the efforts put in by the actors, director , the technical team and most important the script writer ( i know its rare to find a movie with good script nowadays). I would like to say something about you. I watched Socha naa Tha only coz i had skipped my classes had nothing to do, so i thot lets go for this…( n also the ticket were cheap)…and heard alot about the Imitaz Ali the new director. After watching the movie I was thinking “Man that actor is too good yaar, is this really his first movie” because all through ot the movie you were what the character was suppose to be…( i kno this line didnt made any sense…but will)…after that i saw Manorama….and trust me Abhay you are few of those actors who really get into the character…I won’t comment about OLLO because according to me…..the actor best suited to the role was you….You are from diferent league…. i agree with you when you say you are an actor and not a salesman….but many of todayz successfull actors seems to be better than any MBAs in markerting…..Most of the actors today …..just after 20 mins into the movie….come out of the character…and potrait themself on screen……they are no where near to what the director or the script writer had in mind….but you are among few of the actors who does play his part effortlessly…and you make people believe this what the actual character is…you have our own audience…..people who really wait for some sensible cinema……I enjoyed every scene of OLLO and forced my friends to watch it too…..coz i want people to understand…how difficult it is to make movies like OLLO and then to act in it…watever is next…(Dev. D i read somwhere)… i think you are one of the best ACTOR today in the industry…Keep the good work…and please…please….do ACT….in more such movies like OLLO…watever be the outcome of the boxoffice…..but it will surely make it to our best movies collection library….
Regards,
MaX
i was promoting OLLO as if i were on a profit sharing deal..:) Are you still reading the comments? its been a while your first article
While you have chosen some awesome scripts in your career, don’t you think you have played rather safe with your characters.. North Indian boy with ‘I don’t care’ attitude?
When I see so many compliments being given, I generally refrain from coming forward; thinking what difference would my one extra comment make but decided to break my norm just like you r breaking the industry norm by selecting good movies and making them truly worth watching by superior acting. Good job, there are some good actors coming up after a long gap from the time of Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Amol Palekar, Farook Sheikh, Satish Shah and their contemporaries.
Thanks for sharing! Very interesting. I loved the film, it had such a nice and different feel to it. Keep being you, stay fantastic
Love from Sweden
For a guy who claims to be as averse to advertising as you do, you’ve done a decent job of promoting your movie here! and the trick seems to have worked!
First thing first you have stopped replying & blogging.
You have a good memory (you may deny) & a very neat bachelor pad!
Like you from the very first movie ‘SOCHA NA THA…’ & recently watched Oye lucky,lucky Oye…liked it of course!
Waiting for Dev.D & Junction…
Since apart from an actor you wanted to become (painter, philosopher…) journalist….it’s good be active on blogging :-)
Love ya lots
Anshu
Just forgot to congratulate you for ‘FORBBIDEN FILMS’ all the best . You’ll do good but by being a producer as well, you still need to sell movies so that the movies you produce are no more ‘Forbbiden’.
Love
Anshu
hey
im new so i don’t knw how dis works..i had no idea dat my fav actor is bloggin here..
nywayz oye lucky..ws an awesome flick..gr8 script..every character ws well defined..gr8 team work..d movie is flawless…i cn say dat coz i watched it 7times already..dialogues are so smartly written..d dis film has the feel of 90’s delhi ..music is good..bt my heart is kinda struck on Abhay…it ws ur best performance till date..i totally loved it..
waiting for Dev D…as im already a huge AK fan…bt only u guys cud hve done it…modern version of devdas…wow..
seriously as i already commented…when i saw d promos of dev d….i said to myself…dat finally somebody understands devdas n is doing justice to it…devdas is just nt a literary character, its a feel, a state of mind n lifestyle choice of some self destructive losers in love…
well hats off to Anurag, Abhay n d entire team for dis modern version of devdas
Also Dev D is the answer to all those industry morons who were mourning when Bhansali’s Devdas didn’t make it to oscars…also Bhansali wud now understand that devdas is not about expensive sets,costumes,big budgets n a lead actor who can’t even act…its about love, passion, failure n pain…
so Abhay waiting for ur emotional atyachar to start n ease our pains….
n i totally agree wid u…those journalist ask same stupid questions again n again..im jst glad u guys don’t punch those morons…coz i wud love to
dats d worst part of being a celebrity..ppl sucking all our oxygen..
thnk goodness i neither hve dluck or dtalent to be a celebrity..lol
Hey i’m a big fan of your movies.. All the best for Dev-d
Hi Abhay…
U r really cool and i m a big fan of yours… for me u r already a super star coz you are doing what you love to do and you are doing a great job anyways… i reeealy would love to know more about you and interact more with you… i m so impressed with your personality and attitude, i’ve seen Socha na tha around 50 times, I loved you in Ek Chalis and more so in Oye Lucky… haven’t missed any single movie of yours… just keep them coming and we will take care of the box office… me and a huge no. of my friends just keep waitin for you and your projects…
All the best lucky..
danny boyle’s slumdog represents india from a very macro perspective but our country is too complex.
your movie on the other hand captures india in a manner mira nair’s salaam bombay did …
in some ways you might be the upcoming Robert de niro or Al pacino
Man …. i must tell you … you have a world class individuality .
Bravo!!
Oye hero…welcome haiji
Hey Abhay, I dont know if you get replies like this but I have a couple of story ideas which are quite unique and could suit you well. My email id is nelsonite@gmail.com. Plz Do reply if you wanna hear about them.
Loved your films so far, especially Manorama. Eagerly awaiting Dev D, esp after reading Anurag’s tale about the on-set fight! BTW.. this article is a nice way of promoting a film w/o really saying “Go watch it!… Kudos!
oye abhay abhay oye!
interesting style of writing! me likes
and me liked your :manorama….: movie too!
keep up the good work!
Hi Abhay
I like your movie very much & i am a big fan of yours acting, Keep it up because good actors never requires box office reports to prove themselves.
Bye
garg_satish@rediffmail.com
Hi Abhay!!
I am a huge fan of yours…and its because of the great films that you do…Socha Na Tha was a really pleasant surprise..and after that I saw Manorama and more recently Oye Lucky…you are truly something else. I can’t imagine how you have managed to keep to your decision of doing only quality films that are original. I have actually liked each film that you have done, and I think that I can safely say, I cannot say that about any other Indian actor. I am really looking forward to watching Dev D now…also, being a journalist (not an entertainment one, though), hope to interact with you also, someday. Keep up the great work!! And I’m really happy to see your blog on PFC as well, keep posting regularly!!
Best wishes,
Nimisha
Aa lo ji, comments halle bhi aayi jaande ya?!
Anyways Abhay Babu, all the best with ‘Dev.D’ this week.
Khush reh veera! :-)
are yaar y r u such a good actor…………at least make some mistake or bring dat stress while delivering dialouges……..dont act so naturally dat we just cant find ny flaw………..hahahahahahhahahha……………hey jus kiddin dont b serious.
hey u r a superb actor……….and if u”ll keep workin like dis ………bakiyon ki to lag jayegi bhai…..all d bst and keep on entertaining ur friends
Hey Abhay,
“we saw your film and loved it”
I am talking about Dev D here…been recommending it to everyone I know since the minute I walked out…
I must’ve had some pre-conceived notions which is why I haven’t watched any of your other films yet… not your fault.. I don’t watch Hindi movies in general…
BUT Dev D has made a believer out of me… I am gonna go for all of your movies and Anurag Kashyap’s asap…
Keep it up!! Hindi cinema could use it…
hey abhay. i saw ur movie DEV D and liked it like hell. i loved the concept. it is now one of my fav movie in the recent few years. the whole approach towards the script was just mindblowing.
being off-beat my friends didnt like it much, but i must tell u you are making your own genre of movie(abhay deol type of movies). plz continue doing the alternate type of cinema.
U ROCK.
Sat Sri Akal Ji,
tis is the first time i have visited celebrity blog nd after reading all those comments thought tat im way behind in tis lEAGUE.
Well dnt knw wat 2 write—will learn it slowly…may be 4m steve..hahaha( the dialogue writer)
Keep up the gud work. U r really awesome……………….take care.
abhay u r GOD
the glint in your eye when chanda showed you the ring pretty much summed up ur acting prowess.
i’m glad that intelligence prevails in bollywood
hey Man
You are so much aware that you are so natural… aren’t you? You just know that you are so natural, i dont know how to put it. So that simplicity i guess just comes and it comes when you are Dev or you know, you are Satyaveer Randawa and you are not actin. You just being it. Like how Daniel day lewis becomes Christy brown or the Butcher or Daniel Plainview.
Kuchh jyada ho gaya, i guess
Hey, at times i remembered Mean streets when i watched Dev D.
Remember that shot when Chanda realises when she goes to school and she runs… O lalalala… what a shot when she vanishes into light. loved it.
I so very totally-absolutely-completely love your movies!! You’re kikasss dude!! It’s amazing to know that smart people are into acting too… Your persona is what am attracted to most!! Just want you to know that You and Your movies kick butt!!!
Cheers!!
Hi Abhay,
First of all time for confession: I have never been an avid or crazy fan of anyone. Used to like aamir before Ghajini which I was embarrased watching and whose marketing blitzkrieg completely put me off because of the dishonest intent to sell a lousy film and take people for a ride. I ended up watching it several weeks after its release under duress and realized that my doubts were entirely justified.
As for you Abhay, I have been most impressed by each and every film of yours and above all by your honest and exemplary acting and choice of films which have all been off the beaten track. I salute you for it abhay and thank you for proving to me that there is intelligence even in Bollywood. You, anurag, well there is hope. Manorama six feet under was the very first true film noir I felt and your conviction and intelligence shows in every film of yours.
I have no embarrassement in saying that I have become tour die-hard fan and somewhere feel that you are not the types with whom success will go to their head.
Take care abhay and god bless.
I for the first timetruly hope that you will anwser me because I feel like a crazy fan for the first time in my life.
Padma
hello abhay u r so sweet & u know something there is AAG in your heart
in DEVD chakk te phatte
hey abhay,
Never been so overwhelmed…what a genius, u really are GOD! Loved your Socha Na Tha..and practically fell in love with the movie. And have always wanted to watch your movies and next one I watch OLLO, it was mind blowing. Extremely intelligent, loved the details, love the way you capture the details of the character. DevD is making raves..as I hear it from all around me. Tickets hee nahi mil rahe hai!
hey Abhay,
good to see you here.
i never thought i’ll be a fan of someone from Deol family, for obvious reasons. i hope you dont mind.
but then came DevD. Man you are amazing.
you’ve polished yourself like hell since socha na tha. though it was an okay movie, you were different and promising. then i saw ek chalees….. and i thought this guy have guts to break the set rules.
ahista ahista was beautiful (minus reshamiya music).
but devd just takes the cake.
long before the film released i read somewhere that the concept for dev d is yours and Anurag is making it. and when i saw it, it just blew me away. it shows that you have grown up watching quality and mature cinema.
lookin forward to many more movies from you.
keep being true to yourself and your passion.
good luck
Abhay would love to see your answers to us.
And why on earth did you decide to move to New York???? Feel bad abt all that distance and for the first time in my life wish i were there!!!! though had always resisted leaving India despite myriad offers (I teach French)!!!!
Pls post your answer Abhay PLEASE
dude…..wen i watched OLLO i thot it ws Dibakar Bannerjee’s work…….i just watched Dev D…..mark my words….u r goin to fuckin hollywood man….keep makin amazing choices….even tho karan johar will never offer you a movie…..lol……christopher nolan just might!!!
hey…watched the movie..i am in trans…
Hi Abhay
Great work dude!I kind of didn’t get a chance to catch up some of ur earlier movies like ek chalis and Ahista..thought loves ur performances in Socha na Tha & Manorama. Just finished watching Oye Lucky..and loved every bit and frame of this flick. Would like to congratulate Dibakar for creating a gem of a movies. I am looking forward to Dev D, music rocks and am sure you would as well. Be picky with your roles and movies as always, and kudos for promoting a new kind of cinema.
respected sir! its my first visit of your blog and thoughts and opinions about yourself about your own movies and about religion of indian film industry,but sir i want to say to you that all you have written about yourself is not a surprise or strange or unexpected for me because i have been mixed-up with your movies and through acting,nothing is new for me!except one and that is you have said in your blog that you take your audinces away from reality of rustic life of our world! but sir i have got just oppsite of it,because as for as i am concerned your movies takes me to hard core realsum,sir its true by me,sir i have a lot to share with you,i wish pray to that almighty power that you willl have a look of it because do not want to be lost in crowd!thank you alot sir, gooodluck sir!
Just saw Dev D and me too in a trance!!!!
what a movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and on top of everything else I understood hindi, english, tamil and french!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THANKS ABHAY.
Pls answer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Prove that you are not like the others ok?
Hi,
Was digging for more bytes on Dev D, when I stumbled upon this blog. Loved you in OLLO – saw it with a dear friend of mine in India – that movie was hilarious. It warms me up to know that everybody else observes life at close quarters too – you do an excellent job bringing out those nuances and details.
Heven’t watched Dev D yet, but hope to watch it soon. Just wanted to congratulate you on the great movies you make.
Good Luck.
Arre Preeti ji, khaam o khaam hamara naam badnaam kar rahe ho ji! :-)
Ab hum kya kahe?
Abhay ji toh saat samundar paar chalege hain, par dekho, hum ab bhi unka naam roshan kar rahein hain! :-)
Dev.D hasn’t even come here yet :-(
Uski pirate bhi nahin milli ab tak!
Actually, I think true fans should get a dvd copy free!
Along with a 32kg bag of Wholemeal Atta and a tub of East End margarine! :-)
Hi Abhay,
Today I watched Dev D… for the second time. (The only other movie I saw twice was dark knight).
Keep entertaining us… good luck with Gulaal.
Hi Abhay
I enjoyed your work thoroughly in SNT and OLLO.
Am absolutely craving to watch Dev D but it hasnt been released in cinemas here in leicester. So waiting for the DVD to come out now.
I respect the courage you have shown by following your true calling and indulging in work that you can relate with rather than the usual big banner-latka-jhatka stuff. This respect has grown even further since I came to know that you are living an independent life on your own and in fact as I understand, you have moved to NY and enrolled into a welding course?
Well, kudos to you. I respect you!
Simar
(Leicester- UK)
well…. i was just checkin out Dev D’s reviews n i came across ur blog…unlike soooo many i ve nothin much 2 say .. apart from i really liked socha na tha…n OLLO was amazing … m kinda glad that there r actors lik u ((a few ve joined the legue 2 )) who wanna make somethin which provides food for thoughts n its entertaining 2 …. a big YAY for the new genre of indian cinema… i guess thats it ((for now …. m savin this link :P ))
Liked Ollo. How did u get to know Anurag Kashyap..?
You just keep making original movies and we, your audience will do the marketing. Thank you for your work! Keep blogging.
hi
i am big fan of your work
because u w\ant to do good work not to get sucess at any cost.
you r getting popularity slowly people who donot watch your flim in theaters watching them on tv and enjoying nad mostely your innocent acting,
please be your self
Hello Abhay,
I am a big fan of your fantastic dialoge delivery, i know you are not a good dancer & fighter but your work passion appriciated. Your all films i have seen more than ten times really except Manorama which was only two times on TV, not on big screen. I will be waiting for watching your next project like cheers & Maiden.
kar lao gal, main ta tauda naam roshan kar rai hai steve ji, je dialogue writer banan da mauka mil gaya, well thoda contribution etho vi jau.
waise watching pirated is illegal, nd even abhay won’t like tat—-wat say abhi ji….
waise abhay ji, write smthg, its been ages since u have replied to anyone
Hey,
Just wanted to comment on the fact that you find it tiring to promote films. Seeing how nowadays the media filters and/or delivers what we now watch, I can see how it’s overwhelming to deal with it all. But I guess the question is, will anyone watch if the movie’s not sufficiently promoted? Your work in Manorma was INCREDIBLE, but I don’t think it was promoted well enough. In fact, I had just run into it on a website, was like hmmmm…what’s this, and watched it online. Really a bummer, because the movie is actually rather indie-esque, my favorite genre. Anyway, keep up the good work, you’re brilliant!
Hi Abhay,
Saw Dev D and Oye Lucky. You have a very similar brash, dont-give-a-damn character in both the movies. Please try and play a different character in your next film… something more subdued/scared/not-so-confident.
Lets see how you’ll handle that.
Otherwise, its nice to see you, its refreshing! So dont go stale doing the same thing over and over again.
Congrats Manjit Singh on winning the BEST ACTOR CRITICS FILMFARE 2008 !!!
GK
Oho Preeti madam ji, pirated dvd dekhna jurm hain, magar original picture cinema par NA lagaana uss se bhi bada jurm hain!!
Kinda like that whole, ”Zulm karne waala se zyaada ghunegaar, Zulm SEHNE waala hota hain” blah, blah :-)
Like most people, I also got proper excited bout ‘Dev.D’ na?
Par U.K de cineme’ch release ney hui na?!
Toh bolo, dhokebaaz kaun???!
I asked Anurag.
He said ‘ask UTV’.
I asked UTV.
They went khaamosh!
Ultimately, mere mann mein paap aa hi geya!
Cinema nahi, pirate hi sahi!
Great film! Keep up the good work!
Rupie
to Kranthi,
gulaal does’nt cast abhay.
hi abhay
i dnt like u at all bt after i saw ur movie oye oye lucky…u were awesome in dat movie…i m really shocked to hear dat u are doing welding and metal work course in new york arts students league…..great….i m punjabi gal from delhi.my family has got PR i m shifting to vancouver canada sooon…..hope to meet u sooon coz one of ma fren also study der….if u read dis surely send me ur email address…..i ll wait for it
hey steve u really r a nautanki……….
bt kind of nice….
well u started writing on tis blog b4 me
meri gal sun nai rahe sme1–tusi hi request kar do abhay ji nu kuch likhan layi, ki pata taudi gal man lean………..
nd abhay u r gr8, respect 4 wat u doing 4m ur work in movies to ur course in welding—u r awesome
nd steve, b’day area hai ollo da—ki dena hai phr?????
ok i really like you right from your first film Socha na tha and still hear all the songs every day, I think you are very natural actor and not at all loud or the typical filmi types…from what i have read about lately i think its not just ur acting but ur mindset and attitude is equally cool(u speak ur mind and dare to be politically incorrect)……in short u r very cute.
i forgot to mention that to say i loved oye lucky lucky oye would be an undersatement….its ur best film by far in my opinion….compliments to u,director and who made it the way it is
‘Kind of nice’?
Yeh compliment tha ya complaint, Preety madam??
What makes u think apna munda will listen to me??
Mujhe lagta hain ke he’ll do the opposite, henna Abhay bhaiya?
OLLO da b’day aageya?
Shall we buy him a laptop?
So that he can reply to all our 5263 msgs from Amreeka?
Or is he in Spain?
O ki pata kithe geya ya!
Sanu kalle shadd ke munda abroad pajjgeya!
Koina, aalende oanu.
Agli vari apan oanu baar jaan-i ney dena.
Although i’m ‘baar’ myself!
Chalo, kadi ta aooga.
:-)
well main ta na compliment kita si na complaint……
abhay ok dnt listen to either of us, apne dil di dhadkan suno. paka tanu replies karn nu keh rai hoyegi—–i mean plz reply
waise steve ur idea is gud bt we’l make a deal– u buy it nd i’ll gift it. lol
PLZ READ UR MESSAGES ABHAY………………
oh steve tis 1 is 4 u
well he is in amreeka nd yeh 5263 mes kitho agye?
Huh??
Preety ji, toh Abhay ka gift main khareedoon aur pesh aap karengi??
Vey hadh hogeyi!
Inni besharmi?!
Tusi teh bot ponche hue nikle, lagda ya ke minu bhi Amreeka-Shamreeka jaake lookna pauga!
Abhay ki ‘dil ki dhadkan’ ki dhak dhak, computer ke keyboard ki tik tik se nahin mil rahi Preety ji!
Ab toh pancchi udgeya!
Woh haath nahin aayega :-)
And 5263 msgs, as by the time Sarkar Deol Raja Ji responds, that’ll be the amount of comments awaiting a response!
Samjha kar yaar!
just waiting for abhay’s next blog on Dev.D. Kubrickish orgasmic cinema style has set his foot to the Indian screens…way to go Abhay, way to go Kashyap
Wish you all the very best, Abhay Deol!!
abhay u have the acting talent like amitabh bachchan tumhare andar doosro ko dikhane ya pesh karne ki adat nahee hai acting me ekdam natural aur normal admi ki life se releted movies karte ho us har admii ki jindagee ka ek ek chota pehlu dikhta hai tumharee acting me jo kabhee aam public chahtee thi amitabh sir se tumhare andar 80’s ke actors wala talent hai
hi abhay.
wishing u a very happy holi……..
nd steve u really r a big nautanki—happy holi 2 u 2…
Hi Abhay,
It feels weird to able to say this and hope that you might actually read this. you are, after all, such a star!
I just wanted to say that I watched Dev D and while it is the most technically stylish and intelligent movie that I have seen in a long time, it still retains the flavors of India. It also raises extremely significant issues pertinent to the youth, and the nation at large. I can go on and on….but I just want to say congratulations, you were wonderful in the movie, and it was a pleasure to be able to watch it.
It is really exciting that you are choosing to interact with your fans on such a personal level.
Good luck, and God bless.
Hey. I am so excited to have found your blog! I am mighty impressed by your work. There is a certain honesty and intelligence when you play a character, It is brilliant. You are marvelous.
Warm Regards
Shivani
My Word! A lot of fans!
I would Love an Autographed photograph and your phone number Abhay ;)
But seriously, not that Indian cinema is always Garish and Vulgar but after watching your films, I think there are finally some movies I’d like to buy DVDs of, keep and show to my children and grand children as groundbreaking cinema of our time.
Love and Good Luck always!
N
Your sense of humour and timing rocks man!!!
I think there are very few in the industry who are as talented and cool as you (in fact you are my current fav…not as a hero, but a genuinely good actor who uses his grey matter too).
You have the amazing ability to make people laugh and the humour is very well handled. You seem to choose new concepts. I haven’t yet had the opportunity to see Dev D to comment on it, but loved OLLO & Ek challis, Manorama.
Another thought – you don’t need to advertise, your work speaks for itself !!!
Keep up the good work :-)
(Love your smile too … hope that doesn’t embarrass you. Wish you’d reply to the comments or keep writing more posts )
hey abhay, I m realy happy n xcited 2 post a comment 2 ur blog(if its really U who wrote this) n the very first thing i wannna say is ‘I HAVE FALLEN madly IN LUV WITH U’ after watching DEV D!! u simply marvelous!! I juss cant forget d way u act and deliver diologues, its so natural n amazin man! n i luv the way u smile!! Soon I will b having the whole DVD collection of alll your releases. ALL THE BEST!!
n wish u a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY in advance!!!!
u r awesome man, fabelous acting skills followed by ur erotic voice, it just amazing,ur jaw dropping performance in “DEV-D” sweeped away everything frm me..!!
u rock dude
god bless u n best of luck in u future endeavours..!!
hope to see u in real someday…
(sorry. connection problems. I hope I don’t spam posting my comment twice)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! BUON COMPLEANNO!!!!
I hope to be the first person in the galaxy to greet you!!! And I hope it’s the right day… ahem… I read so in Wikipedia.
I saw you in ‘Manorama’ and in ‘OLLO’, and I was so surprised by your maturity in acting! You’re so different from Hindi stars! I hope to watch ‘Dev D’ as soon as possible. In the meanwhile… I’ve bought ‘Ahista Ahista’ dvd. It’s inspired by ‘White Nights’, true? Did you see the Italian film directed by Luchino Visconti starring Marcello Mastroianni (’Le Notti Bianche’)? It was inspired by the same novel.
Ciao!
Celeste
Milan, Italy
(sorry for my bad English)
Oye Abhay ji!
Vilaayat vich baaran vaj gey ne!
So….
”HAPPY BIRTHDAY” man!
Khush raho aur humme khush rakho :-)
33 ke hogeye ho latt saheb ji!
Bolo, kya loge?
Chicken? Keema? Veg?! :-)
Hope u have a smashing day, Amreeka ke Shehzaade!
Oh, and happy holi to u too, Preety ji!
So, u ready to deliver the present to Maharaja Abhay Singh??? :-)
���’s
$$$’s
Aa lo ji, birthday gift!
Amount khud bhar lo.
Phir print kar ke voucher ki tarah isstemaal karo ji!
PFC ke ispecial voucher!
Ok mundeya?? ;-)
Happy Belated Happy Birthdayji!
What’s the name of Dev Benegal’s new movie in which you have acted?
hi abhay,
wishing u a very-2 happy, funfilled, happy b’day………….
njy ur day
Hi Celeste, funny how u mentioned ‘White Nights’, as 3 films have had a coincidental (?) resemblence in recent years.
‘Ahista Ahista’
‘Saawariya’ and
‘Welcome To Sajjanpur’ seemed to be based on the same lines.
Well, I could be totally wrong though….?
Btw, are Hindi films shown at cinema’s in Italy?
And u MUST see ‘Ek Chaalis Ki Last Local’ :-)
Ciao Steve!
Yes, I’ve seen ‘Saawariya’. I like Bhansali sooooooo much! But I must admit that film… bah… so&so. Ok: excellent technicians, excellent looking, as usual, but a bit boring rhythme.
Really????? Very funny!!! I bought ‘Welcome to Sajjanpur’ dvd together with ‘Ahista Ahista’, but I didn’t know it was based on ‘White Nights’ too!
Unfortunately Hindi films are rarely shown at cinema’s here. I remember only ‘Lagaan’ and Deepa Mehta’s ‘Water’, both dubbed into Italian. But last summer the principal tv national channel showed some hindi films, without dance numbers and dubbed: ‘Cheeni Kum’, ‘Hum Tum’ and an Ash’s movie.
What is ‘Ek Chaalis Ki Last Local’?
Ciao!
Celeste
Steve: I checked in Google.
(ooops! it’s another Abhay’s film!)
It seems very interesting. I’ll buy the dvd asap. Thank you!
Celeste,
if you buy Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye’s DVD, you get Ek Chalis ki Last Local free with it. B-)
Watched Dev.D and Ek Challis ki last local. I am sure everyone tells you this – You act really well and your choice of movies is even better :-)
Happy Birthday !!!
Ravi: THANK YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!
So is ‘OLLO’ dvd already on sale? Also out of India?
This sort of surprises are delightful: I’ve bought ‘A Wednesday’ dvd and the pack includes ‘Shaurya’ free dvd! Fantastic!
Ciao!
Celeste
Hey
Hats off to the awesome actor and hats of to his awesome taste in selecting movies…I have seen all of his movies from Socha na tah to the latest and all of them are awesome… I feel he is even better actors than the Khans.. Hey man Abhay keep up ur good work I wuld look forward to it…once again hats off to his briliant talent ….He does not work under the big banners still to me he can be the future big B sorry Big A man….Hey keep on enchanting and entertaining ur fans with your marvelous work ….
Ravi?
‘Ek Chalis Ki Last Local’ FREE with ‘Oye Lucky’?? Er? Where?!
In India??
Arre i’m not in India, so I will have to buy it individually :-(
Oh but, I already have ‘Ek Chalis’!
Celeste, yeah don’t get me started on ‘BoreWariya’!
Yes, S.L.Bhansali is grand, but even the sets were tacky there!
Thankfully ‘Sajjanpur’ was excellent.
I didn’t like ‘Ahista Ahista’ that much, although Abhay just shone in it :-)
I’m not sure if the resemblence was intentional, but those 3 films seemed quite similar to me.
Steve, I read somewhere that you get the same pack outside India albeit for 14 USD(while we pay Rs. 98 :D ). Life is fair for once. ;-)
Oh? I see.
I shall keep my eyes peeled then ;-)
I definitely wanna add OLLO to my collection.
Steve: yes, the worst Bhansali film, in my opinion (but I haven’t seen ‘Khamoshi’ yet). It’s too slow and too long considering that in the (very short) novel nothing happens apart from the girl’s waiting. The Italian film is better, above all because it’s short!!!! And I agree with you: the sets are also so&so. I don’t like the painted town in the background (sorry: I hope you may understand what I mean in spite of my horrible English): why didn’t Bhansali shoot in a REAL ancient town?????
Ciao!
Celeste
Horrible English??
Celeste, ur English is absolutely fine!
It’s actually better than most people’s in the U.K! :-)
Seriously, u speak with such clarity.
Please don’t be so critical :-)
‘Khamoshi’, for it’s time, was superb!
Haven’t seen it since ‘96 but I absolutely loved it back then.
Some even feel it’s SLB’s best film to date!
Oh, have u seen ‘Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd’?
U must add that to ur ever growing list too ;-)
Steve: thank youuuuuuuuuuu !!!!!
It’s difficult finding ‘Khamoshi’ dvd with English subtitles, but if you think it’s good then I’ll try again.
No, I decided to leave ‘Honeymoon’ at the end of my Deol marathon because I thought it wasn’t very interesting. Did you watch it? Did you like it? I have to see it also because I LOVE KAY KAY MENON!!! Excellent actor. Very beautiful man.
heyee…this is so weird, i only just woke up and usually i’m practising my piano but today i’m googling you abhay…damn…anywhichway, i think you’re brilliant and the only indian actor (/person) i can relate to in a major way, i’m also completely in love with you, and love is always a good thing..:) thank the world for you and your art…take care… x o x o
No problem, Celeste…
Yup, I loved ‘Honeymoon Travels’!
U gotta see it :-)
Having said that, some people would disagree with me, but I definitely recommend it.
Especially if u love K.K too!
As for ‘Khamoshi’,
I’m quite sure that it is available with English subs on Amazon for a very good price ;-)
Abhay, I’ve just seen ‘Dev D’ AT LAST!!!!! Very original. Your performance is excellent. I like Kalki, too. But my favourite one among your films – I mean, the films I’ve watched till now – is still ‘Manorama’. GREAT movie.
Ciao!
Celeste
(Ciao Steve! Thanks for your info!)
hey abhay,
its a treat to watch you act.if a fairy tale could come true i would always imagine that we would have known each other because i really want to know if you are actually as honest as you portray in ur performances,ya and one more thing have u really shifted to ny?
hope my fairytale could come true some day,i know i sound very silly but still…….
with loads of luck,
love parmeet
I PRAY TO GOD THAT YOU NEVER GET LOST IN STAR DOM
I pray to god that he doesn’t get lost in Amreeka!
lol Steve! amreeka daa te pataa nahin, par enne saare comments vich lost zaroor ho jaanaa hai os ne. hehehe.
Amanda, absolutely! :-)
I am now starting to think that Abhay should’ve been in ‘Dhoondte Rehe Jaaoge’!
Kya appropriate title hota, na? Lol…
Eh munda karda ki ya??
Sannu pol geya :-(
Apan inne vey bure ney…
Lekin, ‘woh aayega…’ as Raakhee would say with strong wind…
Arre, woh waali wind nahin re, woh toofaan waali!
*CLANG CLANG*
oh, there go the mandir ki ghantiyan too!
Ab toh woh ZAROOR aayega!
Hee hee….
hi loved ur acting ever since saw socha na tha.
hey man u simply ROcK!!!! n ur films need no promotion as such…u being there just dzn require anymore reason fr the movie to b gud…all in all u r a real kewl actor.. n am totally flattered by the way u act…ur just amazing..just keep on rockin …n ya thx a lot as cz of u v r able to watch sum gud movies…
Hi Abhay,
Over 300 comments in response to your post…not sure if you’ll ever get to read mine!
Firstly…I love your work. From ‘Socha na tha’ to ‘Dev D’ I think you’ve done really well.
Secondly…in response to your post…I think when you are an actor…you own the character and in so many ways…you own the movie as well. If you own the movie..you would want lots of people to watch it…and for that promoting it is necessary. That does not mean that you should meet every silly reporter and answer every silly question…I’m sure you can find sensible interviewers in the industry..maybe you should focus on them. But just washing off your hands by saying ‘I’m an actor..I’ve done my part’ doesnt seem right to me.
I’m really happy to see you blogging and the fact that you are on facebook…will definitely read what you have to say regularly.
Cheers!
I Love your Movies.. Amazing and Daring Work…Most of all after watching your movies it feels like I have watched a classic..
sorry to say… i didn’t enjoy oye lucky and dev d… ofcors ur performance rocks… but the movies r very boring
I have seen all your movies which represents kinda alternate creative aspects of Hindi cinema. DEV D, OOYE LUCKY, MANORAMA 6FT … all the characters are real and not a make believe character. Love your films and your great work.
hi abhay
i loved ur work in Dev D. It insink with the contemporary times….a view at gen x and the way they perceive there problems….I am not a big movie fan ….and i cant even imagine me googing some actor .
take care…
hi abhay
i loved ur work in Dev D. Its insink with the contemporary times….a view at gen x and the way they perceive there problems….I am not a big movie fan ….and i cant even imagine me googing some actor .
take care…
Thank god you are part of the Indian film industry and making some amazing films with some amazing directors. Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye easily one of the best films from India in a long time. And the only film (DevD now adds itself to the list) with some punjabi music with some contemporary, original writing. Kicked ass. You should write more.
hi abhay,
saw oye lucky…don’t remember the last time i loved a film so much…and every frame of it. had tears in my eyes…laughing through it. it was so natural that i honestly forgot it was a film!
then had a chance to see/hear you at the wharton summit this year…what can i say?
the last time i felt like this about an actor’s potential was with aamir khan.
thanks to you we will not have to choose between commercial and art films. we will just have to choose between what we think might be a good film or a bad one…and here’s hooray to that!
anika
hey abhay… nice work man!!
would like to meet you someday!
tc
hi abhay.
whr r u??????
kade te apne darshan dao………….
Oh Preety ji!
Tusi?! Feh?!
Vey kamaal hogeyi!
Apan vi ajj Abhay nu miln aaye si, par oada halle vi vel ney lageya!!
Chalo, shaayad apna dedication dekh ke Amreekan Babu nu thodi jey sang aajoogi :-)
Ney teh apan vi besharmi teh utar aounge, huh! Lol…
Minu lagda ya, ke oadi chai vich kisi ne koi booti kol ke deti!
Apan Amreeka jaake oane labiyeh?!
Ki pata, shaayad oho saddi wait karda hoga?
Sannu inaam bhi dooga?
Shaayad sadi fanship di pariksha le reya ya??
Hmmmmmmm??
Ja feh kisi ne oadi booti vich chai paati ho?!
Hai raam!
:O
as usual d nautanki steve…………
waise i thnk hs course is over te oh amreeca ch nai hai hun………..bk in ind shayad….
pata nai ki paya te ki nai…………
abhay ji, im dedicating a song 4 u by harjit harman –pata nai tanu pata hau ki nai ide bare bt song is really gud………———gal dil di das sajna……….
apne fans di dil di awaz suno………
O teri paenn di family! Didnt think I would be sharing PFC space with so many committed devotees – but there’s good reason; if you’re a true cine buff, Abhay D is the kind of actor who’ll have you dreaming about him and chanting his name in your sleep! (yes,personal experience
)
Happily, I have two points to mention about Abhay D that haven’t already been covered here:
1. Abhay’s natural physical grace – he executes every scene with the smoothness of a knife through makkhan. His facial expression, his body language, his dance even (though I think he doesnt call himself a dancer per se) are beauty in motion. I nearly swooned over his tango in Honeymoon Travels. He uses his height and never-ending long limbs to great advantage, it’s like watching a cat stretching after a satisfying nap
2. Abhay’s speech (esp. voice overs): This I think is an area of improvement for Abhay D, though people have praised it here. In 1:40 ki Last Local, I thought his voice-overs could have sounded better with some more salt and spice. His delivery of dry one-liners is flawless, such as in Dev D, but there are lines that need a little more expression to make them pitch-perfect.
Okay, okay I admit I’m being a nitpicker.
But when something is sooo close to perfection one cant help but try and get the gap bridged.
Dil di awaaz tad sunange, jad dil de kanna di mel kaddi jao, hee hee!
O aajooga, aajooga, tu ghabra na, Preety ma’am.
Ney teh apan sa-nehe chhaddi jaoonge. Hena?
Alternatively, main saara London kom ke oanda ya, teh tusi saare India’ch ek gera laa kar aao ji.
Shaayad miljaveh??
Koshish karo toh bhagwaan bhi mil jaata hain! :-)
bilkul ji, koshish karo ta sab kuch ho sakda hai…….
nd i thnk abhayz ears must be absolutely fine……..its just thr may be time constraints….
bt still abhay blog create kiya hai te kuch likho te sahi……………
Abhe Abhay?!
Yaar, Preety kitne laggan se tujhe bula rahi hain, usko ek msg bhejdo na??
Nahin toh aapki reputation ka ding-dong hojaayega!
Bole toh, main temporary Abhay banjaoon??
Ok. Here goes!
Ahem!
”Hey Preety, thankyou so much for all ur msgs!
I must admit, i’m both thrilled & touched by ur fanship!
I wanted to reply to u ages ago, but u know how it is, wohi kaam shaam, no aaraam!
Anyways, please keep the msgs coming, they will entertain me on my holidays!”
Tu hota toh aise hi bolta, na?? :-)
gosh steve u made me soooooooooooooooo happy…….
pata nai kine watt di smile agayi mere face te……thnx……..
nd ya had it been abhay i guess he wud have written d same……
still abhay………………..u can’t escape……
Hey Abhay,
I simply loved OOye lucky ooye, . When i saw Socha na tha, i was amazed to c a guy going thru the whole movie without actually “acting”, u seem to completely become the character and i think that is what makes you one of the finest actors of recent times.But my most fav is Dev of Dev D, i am so glad thr r people like you and Anurag sir to make such movies otherwise buying multiplex ticket is sheer waste of our hard earned money, and of course u r creating large creative atmosphere by making such movies…
well done sirji:)
best wishes
charu sharma
Thanks Preety!
But who’s to say that Abhay didn’t write that msg?
Ho sakta hain ke usko mera naam accha lagta ho aur woh Steve bangeya ho?! :-)
Aaj toh Sunday hain.
Aaj toh Abhay ghar beth kar chilling/shilling kar raha hoga.
Ya phir pub mein drinking/winking kar raha hoga!
Nahin to mandir mein pooja/wooja kar raha hoga
Preety ji, tusi ehi samjo ke Abhay ne oho msg shaddeya si.
Khushi, chahe jhoot moot ki hi sahi, zindagi mein honi hi chahiyeh.
Henna?? :-)
Charu, I agree with you, Abhay elevates acting to a level beyond just ‘performance’.
There was recently an article in the HT about a dance form in Kerala, called ‘Theyyam’, wherein the main artiste attains almost divine status during the performance – it is believed that he actually ‘becomes’ divine temporarily. That reminded me of Abhay D! He actually steps into the character’s shoes and lives his life. I liked him best in Oye Lucky, there are so many diff shades to that character.
Hi Abhay,
I found the reason to watch Dev D when my college colleague admonished the entire movie as completely blasphemous and profane. The next thing within that week I did was to watch this up, and I am completely hypnotized by the movie, your complete immersion into the character, and the magnificent songs. What a piece of art you guys have produced. Kudos to all of you.
I had a good discussion with that colleague of mine, and since then I am on a self proclaimed mission of publicizing this movie and making sure that all those who are, or manage to appear “sane” in this completely insane world, do watch Dev D. I have been discussing this movie with other colleagues, students, family, friends, and many more people who are fortunate/unfortunate to have me around. The more I discuss/watch it, my appreciation and understanding of various layers of the meanings that it holds, and that have gone in making it, keeps increasing.
Dev D has completely absorbed me, and I am literally living under its spell. It’s like, reading a great piece and then living in that world, even when the piece is finished, as one wants the plot to lurk. I remember, in one of the seminars , Nagesh Kukunoor talked about the worth of a movie, which he attached with the time when movie is over, and the audience is busy leaving the hall. It’s that time, in which the taste of movie lingers, and gives a smile, or a tear, and leaves an emotion with the audience. It’s those few minutes that decide how well the movie was made, if we look at it from audience’s perspective. Once the audience is out of the theatre, and is embraced by outside light or darkness of life, then latter takes its toll, and the spell of movie is broken.
But, when it comes to Dev D, even after a month that effect/emotion is not leaving me. The spell and the charm of movie is still lurking. And the best part is that I want this to linger on.
Many thanks for making possible such an invaluable work.
Jyoti
Jyoti,
I think the same way, Dev-D is so cool, In “my opinion” no one has ever did a drunken man like Abhay did, I completely agree with him.
jhooti khushi???????????????? can’t comment on tat bt mes ws gud……
waise u have really nice options 4 sunday…………
hey abhay………..hun ki likha aap hi samjho
Abhay man its really a pleasure at last to read something about you and written by yourself.
I love you man and I ain’t gay ( with all due respect ). I have seen all your work so far and loved it
except Ahista 2 cause I could not stand that film’s music but will watch it asa I get a chance. Apart from that all of them are different and u have done justice with all of them be it Viren, aspi , satyaveer, lucky , or Dev . I don’t like aspi though as he was way to cool to be a superhero.(hehe) I am a aspiring director and looking forward to work with you 5 years from now.
Kudos!!
Abhay?
Yeh kya?
Na tumne phone kiya, na hi ghar aaye??
Aur to aur, mere ko Happy Birthday bhi nahin bola??
Badtameez chhokre, maine abhi tak cake bhi nahin kaata!
The Maumbati’s are drip, drip, dripping everywhere!
Iss se pehle ke yeh maumbati ki chingaari, jwaala mukhi banke mere ghar ko jala daale, tum yahan jaldi aao!
:-)
(Preety, he’s well and truly gone man!)
hey abhay
u take out time 4 facebuk, y nt tis blog whch u created urself( i suppose)………..
nd steve belated happy b’day……wen ws it????
hope ur hme didn’t burn down???????
Hi Abhay,
I am surprised to see your blog. Anyways, I am not great Hindi movie fan. I only watch very selective movie. Long time ago, i watched socha na tha..which i really loved.
Recently, i was killing my time on youtube and came to know that you have done so many movies afterwards.
Trust me, i watched all of them. i couldn’t stop myself from watching them. Your acting is superb. In all your movies, you have justified the character and now i found you on facebook then i end up at your blog. After reading blog, I realised that you really had a hard time in industry. So far, i have learned one thing in life that you can not change people’s mentality. Therefore, don’t bother by media, marketing and stuff. You are doing a great job and just concentrate on it. Rest, leave it on HIM. HE has already written your DESTINY. NO ONE can change that and take it away from you.
Cheers..
ABHAY!!!!
OH MY GOD!!!!!
DEV D WILL BE SCREENED OUT OF COMPETITION AT THE VENICE FILM FESTIVAL!!!!
I hope to see you here in Italy for the screening…
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!
Celeste
hey have u seen “into the wild” wat bout makin it in indian background there r so many places waitin to get explored in india,i loved that movie……………………..!
hi,
A) What is the film about?
I understand that at a media briefing where the film is being promoted and there is a handy press kit to go through at leisure, “journalists” lets call them Byte collectors throng you with this one anal question- What is the film about?
In the same vein I guess, the interviewee has learnt to respond in all nonchalance- Oh! The Film is about boy meeting girl, girl humping boy, boy meeting boy before he gets married to a girl, and all permutation combination of sexual ties.
I don’t blame either. But rather I feel pained by the fact that we use the microphones almost as a prosthetic device to have a sort of quick climax. For the journalist/byte collector – he gets the byte, dummy’s guide to what the film is about etc, and for the interviewee he gets his 5 minutes of film publicity.
2) Did you like working with the director?
Ok, I would still say this is a fair question although the answer should be very taut- None of you business!
3) Are you dating/screwing your actor/actress?
Here is where my heart bleeds. What has film journalism come to, or rather boiled down to- that we need a bit of bedtime stories in the name of producing content on films!!!! I am a film theory student and god help me Abhay if I too have to fetch myself a microphone to shove up holes (mouths) to get bytes that help me get a headline or two.
As for rest, Keep the shyness intact and the good work coming ;)
Love
Diya
hi abhay how does one get in touch with you regarding a film
Please keep up your good work. Your choice of films has always been interesting and the movies are always a delight to watch.It is true the – crew and ensemble casts have added on to the magic. So it nice to see you write about them. I admire your ability to see your true position in the entire crew and not give yourself undue importance. the beauty of cinema and theatre both lie in the team work that goes into the process of making them happen.
As someone who has grown up in the nineties hearing stories of all the great things that has happened in the past, i have always regretted the fact that i was born too late. it is very encouraging to watch young actors like you choosing and working in films that are difficult to make. it takes courage to stand in the same frame as stalwarts like paresh rawal and still look visible. you have been able to do that, so hats off to you.
I just hope that i can watch you perform more versatile characters. All the characters you perform seem to have similar characteristics.they are each unique, but i would love to watch you stretch yourself. the most novel thing about the films that you have adorned uptil now has been the fact that they all deal with the nuances of the common indian man. even DevD was brought down by you to a ground level and that made the film, or rather mr. kashyap’s vision even more unique. never has the character of Devdas been so like the rich spoilt brat next door. in that fact it is the film version of the novel nearest to the novel. it did not have to tranform DevD into a “hero”.
Looking forward to see you in a classic production soon where we will see more facets of your versatility emerge,
a big fan.
Hi Abhay,
First of all, a very good job on being an odd one out actor. A fine job, I must say. I am currently living in Canada, have been here for the past 8 years now. Bollywood here to most Canadians meant hero-heroine running and dancing around trees, parents objecting to their marriage and finally, everything is resolved and everyne is happy and hero-heroine get married. LOL, most of the white people who watch Bollywood movies here (since they are aired on local TV channels on the weekends), think that’s us. But you have changed their way of thinking. You have introduced film-noir acting and that has increased respect for our film industry. Probably, for the very first time, an Indian movie (Road, movie) will be shown at the Toronto International Film Festival and I cannot be more proud being an Indo-Canadian. Keep it up, Sir and good luck for all upcoing movies.
Hi Abhay!
I really admire you for doing different kind of movies, you are one of the few versatile actors in Bollywood. I recently saw pictures of you at the Pearson Airport. I already got my tickets for TIFF for Road and am really eager to see you. I wish I knew where you were staying in Toronto so me and my friends could take you out for dinner. Not sure if you would check the comment during your stay in Toronto. Enjoy Toronto, it’s a great city!
S.
I am excited by the talent Abhay has brought to Hindi Film Industry…The most amazing feeling after watching his films, not only you are commending the film; his work makes you very curious as to the next project he will do doing.
I want to compliment ‘Abhay – the actor’ and his ability to choose unique projects as he is doing.
The only other actor whom I always commend for his thoughtful choices is Aamir…but the characters Abhay plays leave you happy, the right word will be ‘enthralling’ performaces….I am not aware of any actor in current film industry, who by his acting has made me so curious as to his/her next act.
I want to compliment Abhay and want him to know that his work is highly appreciated!!
Almost a year since this post was written. But am just reading it now.I liked the movie a lot and it is now part of my collection.Liked DevD more and this inspired me to call myself BhavD.Sounds crazy.
You are right Abhay. But, that’s how life is about. More so with film-making. It is a double-edged sword. You have to indulge in the imaginary world that you are trying to create on celluloid at any point of time. At the same time, you have to be yourself. Promoting a film is undoubtedly the most difficult part for an actor and celebrity. Unfortunately, that’s the fodder on which the producer survives and takes care of the entire team. The paradox is like in any manufacturing unit, the operations people tell the sales guys that the product sells because they create the best. While, the sales team always exhorts the operations guys to come out in the field with them or swap responsibilities for a short while and the next moment they both give due space to the other. Period
In film-making, actors are like ingredients of the film and, in the new circumstances, it has become essential amidst all this noise about competition. Television’s intrusion too much into films has helped it to a great extent but, on the other hand, made life difficult for the actors and makers. One has to go through this grinding, whether you like it or not.
How you carry yourself, your roles and your image sets you apart from the rest. The kind of films you do included.