My father is my inspiration: Bobby Deol

Being the son of legendary actor Dharmendra may not have put pressure on him but Bobby hasn’t had an easy journey in Bollywood. In a conversation with G20, he talks about his latest venture into the OTT platform.

 

Q. You’re back on the small screen. How excited are you about ‘Class of 83’ and your role as cop Dean Vijay Singh?

A: I’m really excited to officially be on OTT on Netflix and play Dean Vijay Singh in ‘Class of 83’. It’s one of the most exciting characters I’ve got to play after many years of searching for something so interesting. Really looking forward to August 21 when it comes out and I hope everybody likes it. I have a great feeling about it and I’m sure everybody’s going to enjoy this film. I am always nervous about the day my film releases. It’s like waiting to see what marks you get after an exam.

Q. How different is Vijay Singh from the other cops you played so far?

A: Well, my character in this film is very different from any of the other cops I’ve played before. The character is very real and it was interesting to play a cop who is real but it was more interesting because it was about a person’s journey from being a family man who’s a cop and how he dedicates his life to duty and how he has to fight against the system. Earlier on, the cops I’ve played have been larger-than-life characters. Dean Vijay Singh is a real cop who comes across moments in his life where heroism comes but it’s so real that it really connects with people watching it. In everybody’s life there comes a moment where you suddenly become that hero for that moment. It’s something very different from anything else I’ve done before.

Q. Post a career slump, how do you feel getting back in front of the camera?

A: Post the slump, I worked in a lot of big budget films and that I think kick-started my whole career gain. It was great working with Salman Khan in ‘Race 3’ and Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh and everyone in ‘Housefull 4’. I believe that work only attracts work and I think that just gave a momentum to my career and I was glad that I was getting an opportunity to work on the OTT platform and that also with Netflix. I was always open to this idea and I think I’m excited about this part of my journey in my career.

Q. People talk about how star kids are lucky. But has being Dharmendra’s son constantly put pressure on you to excel as an actor and succeed?

A: I never looked into all these facts; I always believed I had a different identity. But while working in this industry, I realised they do compare you with your father and your brother. But I never let that take away my desire or made me give up. I always thought I would make my own identity which I did. Eventually, I kept on doing work as Bobby Deol and not overshadowed or influenced by my parents. Definitely, my father is a legend and I wish I could match up to half of what he has achieved in his lifetime. He’s my inspiration and has always had the ‘never give up’ attitude. So I’ll never give up in my life. A moment came when I did but now I’ve realised my mistakes and this new chapter in my life is going to be a very exciting one. I’m really looking forward to any career now.

Q. Do you think OTT platforms will give you more opportunities in the coming days? 

A: I do believe I’ll get more opportunities on OTT platforms because it has given an opportunity with Netflix to play a character which is totally different from my image. I’m sure that after people watch ‘Class of 83’ they would think of making me part of scripts with characters that are totally different from my image. It has given a lot of opportunities to so many people. There’s a lot of work that’s coming and I want to be focussed and persistent and just keep attracting work.