Bobby Deol is often looked upon as the proverbial lord-in-waiting, maintaining a stoic demeanour while Bollywood calls upon him when script and situation demands. The 50-year-old actor has the Deol family name to his credit, a handful of hit films early on in his career and, perhaps, notoriety all courtesy a parody Twitter account that went viral not too long ago.
With the chips stacked up against him, Deol should have faded into Bollywood obscurity before the dawn of the last millennium (remember Bichoo and Hum Toh Mohabbat Karega) had it not been for the intervention of his famous family and the actor’s own ability to reinvent himself for this next chapter in his film career.
His big brother Sunny Deol adopted this very philosophy when he directed last year’s sleeper hit, Ghayal Once Again. Is it surprising that protege Bobby Deol would follow suit? Four years in the waiting since the forgettable Yamla Pagla Deewana part 2, the younger Deol is ready to face the audience once again via celluloid as Poster Boys comes up for release on September 7 in the UAE.
“I am very excited to return after four years. I think my emotions are a cocktail right now,” Deol told Gulf News tabloid! over a crackling phone line from Mumbai as the city shook to its very foundations amid its worse rainfall in 12 years. The actor continued: “I am quite confident about Poster Boys. It is a great script and very different from my previous roles.”
Perhaps sensing our incredulity over the much abused Bollywood phrase, Deol was quick to point out why this particular role was different from the 40-odd films he’s starred in, over a career spanning 22 years.
“I play a small-town teacher and a father of two children. It is very different from the rich, suave, cool guy role I am usually saddled with,” he explained.
“When you have an image in the industry, you kind of get stuck with. Plus, I never got great film offers over the past four years. It was the same stuff. I guess the audience wants to see you a certain way…,” he trailed off.
Directed by Bollywood actor Shreyas Talpade, Poster Boys is the Hindi adaptation of the hit Marathi film that he starred in and produced nearly four years ago.
Said Deol: “I haven’t seen the Marathi film, but when Shreyas came to me with the script, I was thrilled. No one but Shreyas could offer me such a script; plus my brother Sunny was in the film as well.
SUNNY SIDE UP
Talpade hosted workshops for Deol to train him in conversing in classical Hindi, with the shoot itself wrapping up in 37 days. For the 50-year-old actor, coming to the film sets was time for family bonding.
“Having Sunny on the set was an extension of home. In fact, I probably spent more time with him on the sets than at home as we all keep to ourselves and just take living together for granted,” he explained. “On the sets, we were together all the time. It was fun. A paid holiday in a way. But it’s not like I didn’t work either. I’d go to sleep at 8.30pm, wake up at 3.30am to work out and then head in to shoot.”
When quizzed whether he was nervous about facing the cameras after a four-year hiatus, and the actor simply laughed.
“I don’t think there was any nervous energy on sets. Overall, the whole experience was positive, more focused in a way. This movie has changed me somehow. I think I am stronger. And that reflects in the film as well,” he revealed.
Surely working with big brother also forced one to up their game, as well.
Deol had a different take. He explained: “No actor makes me nervous. Not even Sunny. Maybe early on in my career I was on edge. Everything was new at the time. But ultimately you realise that you are playing just a character, your part in the grand scheme of things.”
The actor continued: “There is a sense of comfort with Sunny. I know his moves. We know how to improvise on sets. It is the finer nuances of being with your brother that is exciting I guess.”
For a change, though, the Deol brothers are not playing siblings in Poster Boys, but two of the three men [including Talpade] who find themselves unwillingly featured on a poster, educating men on vasectomy. The comedy chronicles their fight against societal norms.
FAMILY TIES
Deol also denied there were any similarities between his Poster Boys character, Vinay Sharma, and that of Professor Parimal Tripathi, a role his famous father Dharmendra epitomised in the 1975 classic, Chupke Chupke.
“Those characters are poles apart,” said Deol. “Dad’s character was a lot more mischievous and mine is more sincere, henpecked. Dad is such an amazing actor, he brings such energy to the sets that you just can’t compare his talent to millions and millions.”
The father-son pairing will return to the big screen, along with Sunny, as the trio return for the third outing of the Yamla Pagla Deewana franchise.
The actor didn’t mince words as he said: “I am excited to work with him [Dharmendra] again in Yamla Pagla Deewana 3. I think we lost the plot with the second one. It was not a great film at all.”
Fans can probably catch several behind-the-scenes stills on Dharmendra’s Twitter account these days.
“Dad likes to take pictures. So Sunny and I pushed him to share those on Twitter,” revealed Deol.
The younger actor continues to share his love-hate relationship with social media, especially in wake of a fake account in his name that surfaced on the microblogging site a few years ago and went viral with jokes written at Deol’s expense.
A passionate Deol didn’t hold back in his criticism, saying: “It is so frustrating. There are just so many fake accounts of celebs out there. I go by @TheDeol because @BobbyDeol was taken. Those [expletive] who don’t have the guts to say things openly, those cowards, decide to hide behind a celebrity name.”
Unfortunately for Deol, one can’t deny the powerful tool social media is today, especially in the lead up to a film’s release.
Deol admitted the same, saying: “It is a new way of communication. It is a good promotional tool as well. Although, earlier life was so much simpler, especially during Barsaat and Soldier. People were more sincere. Now every move comes with a condition.”
Don’t miss it!
Poster Boys is currently playing in UAE cinemas.
The next Deol steps into Bollywood
Following the release of Yamla Pagla Deewana, the three Deols (namely Dharmendra, Sunny and Bobby) will step away from the limelight long enough to launch the next generation in Bollywood with Karan Deol.
Sunny’s son will be debuting in the film Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas, which the veteran actor will also direct.
Uncle Bobby Deol weighed in on his nephew’s launch, saying: “I don’t want to say much right now. He [Karan] is a son to me. We have been close since he was a kid. Now he’s a young man and has his own life. I can only wish him well. And advise him to listen from his heart.”
Interestingly, the film’s title is taken from a song in Dharmendra’s film Blackmail.
In a recent interview with IANS, Sunny too was reluctant to talk about his son’s launch. “Let it first be made. Right now it’s too early.”
“But yes, like all fathers I want the very best for my son. This is why I decided to direct the film myself. I am in no hurry to complete it. We’ve not decided on a release date. We will release the film whenever we feel the film is ready.”
