“A decade later, ‘Road, Movie’ would be hailed as a landmark film” - Abhay Deol
By SAMPURNTuesday, March 30, 2010
March 31, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): ‘Road, Movie’ may have seen a premature end to it’s box office run in India. However, it’s lead actor Abhay Deol is undeterred. Happy with the critical appreciation coming the film’s way, he is positive that in years to come, the film will definitely get its due recoginition amongst a wide set of audience.
"See, ‘Road, Movie’ was very different from ‘Dev D’, ‘Oye Lucky Lucky Oye’ or other films that I have done", reflects Abhay, "I am sure there were many out there who appreciated it for the kind of difference it made to cinema. In fact if they haven’t done it now, then I am sure 10-15 years down the line, they would hail ‘Road, Movie’ as a landmark film. I am quite positive about that",However, the issue still lies with the restricted market that India currently has for such a ‘change’. Agreed that Abhay has made a conscious call when it comes to his choice of films. However, doesn’t he fear that in the process of doing so, he is perhaps alienating himself from majority of Bollywood?
"Let me state some facts", Abhay gets into a serious mode, "What happens in the West is that people tend to do only that work that they can add value to. They understand their limitations and don’t ever decide to do something which doesn’t suit them. For example, a Tom Hanks can not do what Arnold can do. They don’t try to step into each other’s shoes unnecessarily. One actor may have a muscular body and another may have a leaner body and due to that they take on roles accordingly."
"On the other hand in Bollywood everything is so formulaic", Abhay starts drawing distinctions here, "An actor is required to look good, put on muscles and do everything else which is expected from a quintessential Bollywood hero. No wonder, they end up competing with each other at that level and start looking just the same.
"Talking about his own philosophy of picking and choosing work, Abhay says, "This is why I have always said that an actor has to tell himself what he is capable of, what are his strengths and how can he push them to his limits. I have to strive to get out of my comfort zone while still doing sensible stuff. The day more and more actors start doing that, it would bring on a change in the cinema that we make. Yes, there are some other actors also who are trying to do that and this indeed is a positive sign.
- Rudhir Burman / Sampurn Wire
