Abhay Deol On Why He Hated Fame Before Dev D Release, Moved To NYC; Says, “Getting Drunk, Not Working And…”

Actor Abhay Deol rose to fame with his stint in Dev D. However, the phase before the release of film was not easy for him. Ahead of film’s release in 2009, Abhay moved to New York, taking a break from Bollywood at the height of his career. In a recent interview, Abhay Deol recalls how he was unable to deal with fame that came after Dev D and how it was destructive at one point.

Abhay Deol on dealing with fame and negativity after Dev D

In his chat with Humans Of Bombay, Abhay mentioned that he moved to New York just before Dev D release. He said, “I was finding it hard to deal with the attention and fame because I started getting flashbacks of when I was a kid. I was a sensitive child and I didn’t like the attention. I liked the art, creativity and medium.” The actor further said, “I knew that Dev D was going to be big, but I didn’t want to be famous. But at the same time, I wanted to act. There was a conflict within me. I focused a lot on the negatives. I hadn’t resolved many issues, so I just ran away because I was afraid of being famous and everything that came with it.”

He added, “When I went there, I knew it wasn’t going to be forever because I was just indulging. I was very destructive. Some actors take their work home. It’s a process to learn how not to be affected.”

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Abhay on dealing with Self-destructive phase in New York

The actor described his time there as just playing his role from Dev D, getting drunk, not working, and wasting money. “I knew I wasn’t going to stay there. I was just in New York playing the part I played in Dev D, getting drunk, not working and being terrible with my money. It was a waste in that sense. I won’t call it a waste now because I learnt something, but it was destructive. I wanted to come back home and continue to earn and support myself and my family. There are responsibilities; you have to come back. This is a make-believe world. I knew it wasn’t going to be permanent; it was a temporary escape,” said Abhay.

Abhay later went on to work in films like Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Aisha among others.

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