It really took someone’s death to wake Bollywood up: Abhay Deol

The Bollywood actor calls out nepotism, bullying in the industry

Abhay Deol has been revisiting his earlier films and sharing a story behind them, with the hashtag #MakingWhatBollyWouldnt.
“I felt this was a good way to bring attention to these films.

Being non-formulaic, they didn’t have enough funds for a big release so, not a lot of people are aware of them,” he told Hindustan Times. “The ones I selected for this particular hashtag - Ek Chaalis Ki Last Local, Manorama Six Feet Under, Dev D and ROAD - are the ones that were the most difficult to make and even tougher to release.”

However, in the post about Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Deol called out the “covert and overt ways” in which people in the industry lobby against some. “They didn’t even bother hiding their bias,” he wrote. “Lobby culture has been prevalent in our industry not for years, but decades. Hence, no one thinks about standing up.

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They are all ready to conform, which is why they know that they can get away with it. The reason I can say this is because I grew up in a film family and I’ve heard of these games, even as a child. I heard it through other people’s experiences and as a professional, I saw it myself.”

Deol admitted that Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide – which has rekindled the debate on nepotism and bullying in Bollywood – shook him up inside. “I could relate to his career,” he stated. “Sushant’s death pushed me to speak up a little.

I’m sorry it took someone’s death to wake everybody up. But I’m glad that people have taken note and want to be heard. They’re asking for change. What’s good today is that actors are speaking out. I had become quiet because I didn’t want to be the only one screaming.”

The actor wants people to know he had put his career on the line from day one. “I focus on my privileges; I have many. I have a family, great set of friends, work, etc. I am working in two countries (India and Los Angeles) currently. I found my path. I never played the Bollywood game, so I find myself outside of it,” he shared.

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Asked if he agrees that such biases in the film industry can impact on one’s mental health, Deol said, “It’s extremely competitive. People are highly insecure and you’ll often, ‘your failure is my success’.”

But how does that play out in real life? “People planting false stories about you, paid-for reviews being deliberately negative, people gaslighting you within the industry to sabotage you, people robbing you of a nomination or a win at an award show — these are some of the ways in which you make another person’s failure your success. Now, imagine a person with a mental illness being thrown in this toxicity. For sure, it would take a toll.”

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Deol recalled how “they demoted me and Farhan (Akhtar) from main leads to supporting actors” in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. “I wasn’t surprised but mostly disappointed. By then, I was trying to be less idealistic. Very rarely did I go to these award functions.

I was coming around to see the industry’s point of view and suddenly, this was a hard reminder of the systemic corruption that exists in it. Positioning was based on market value of the artiste, not the film. That’s the way the industry functions.”

He added, “These awards are more of a PR exercise, and a TRP exercise. I do enjoy seeing talent get awarded but that happens from time to time.”

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