Abhay Deol on cover of The Man

Aware that his movies don’t make box office millions, Abhay doesn’t really care. Money to him is like points in a video game. If he doesn’t score a high score now, Read More">he’ll score it later is the motto he follows. “Money is a means to an end. I find it weird when money falls toRead More

Aware that his movies don't make box office millions, Abhay doesn't really care. Money to him is like points in a video game. If he doesn't score a high score now, he'll score it later is the motto he follows. "Money is a means to an end. I find it weird when money falls to the ground and people pick it up and pay their respects. You can't be serious. To respect it means not to throw it around, not worship it. I spend. I believe in living in the moment. I splurge probably to live the life I never had. I love travelling. I love staying in boutique hotels and being comfortable. As a student I was more of a backpacker but I can't do a lot of that anymore.

I don't spend on fancy watches and clothes - I don't like being flashy. Ever since the economy opened up a couple of years ago, there's a bigger middle class than ever before. People are travelling more, shopping more and watching TV more, which makes them more westernised than ever. This nouveau rich is all about showing the cash - maybe if our economy continues to prosper and becomes rich over many decades, then maybe, the necessity to flash your cash will be a lot less." As we draw to the end of our conversation Abhay tells me about sports cars he'd like to own and the frivolity of graphic novels. He was right. It's like I've known him forever and here I am making friends and telling secrets to the one person I shouldn't be talking to. He isn't a celebrity anymore. He's the guy back stage at a Something Relevant or Thermal and a Quarter Concert. As I reflect on the fact that he's disarmed the journalist inside me an old quote from a Kid Rock album sleeve seems to oddly sum up what Abhay Deol is all about - "If it looks good, you'll see it. If it sounds good, you'll hear it. If it's marketed right, you'll buy it. But...if it's real, you'll feel it.

Courtesy - The Man

It’s noon at the sprawling Deol estate in Juhu, Mumbai. Pictures of their scion, Dharmendra give you sharp looks from the walls around. Abhay Deol is usually never late, his manager and the family’s manager for over 30 years, informs me. Yeah, I know. Our last two meetings, Read More">the latter of which was probably oneRead More

It's noon at the sprawling Deol estate in Juhu, Mumbai. Pictures of their scion, Dharmendra give you sharp looks from the walls around. Abhay Deol is usually never late, his manager and the family's manager for over 30 years, informs me. Yeah, I know. Our last two meetings, the latter of which was probably one of the wildest shoots I've ever seen in progress, were as clockwork and precise as a Swiss watch. It's also rather strange that the Deol oddball isn't at family lunch in the dining room outside - Abhay rarely misses a family meal despite moving out of the large joint family estate and living on his own. As I converse with an age-ing stuntman and one of Dharmendra's closest aides, Abhay hurries in. He's been busy trying to re-schedule a Krav Maga lesson and other commitments just to make this interview. In a t-shirt and pair of jeans with a bag slung across his shoulder, he's an everyman - someone who doesn't afflict you with whiplash as he passes by despite his tall, lean structure and features uncannily akin to younger version of his uncle, Dharmendra. In short he's the opposite of what a Deol is commonly perceived as. The youngest of the Deol men, he's not a beefy, brawny action star or a love-struck Romeo. He's just another guy - a disarming tactic he's perfected over the years. After courteously greeting his manager and his uncle's friend and a few quick apologies, Abhay guides me into a less daunt-ing living room sans the award figurines and portraits of his family.

As lunch wraps up at the Deol household and his cousin Bobby heads out, Abhay lounges back in a chair and dumps the bag on another. Looking around, this rather opulent setting is quite the opposite of his indie avatar. It's also quite strange that he's moved out of this castle. "I've been living on my own since I was 18. So I've been quite independent for a while now." Having studied in LA and spent a year in New York on his own, the Deols have stopped being overprotective and have let go of their youngest 'brother.' "It would be a waste of their time and energy," Abhay adds. With a hands-on approach to everything, he even did his own apartments in New York and Mumbai - something he kicks himself for- because of the work involved- albeit with a proud smile.

Courtesy - The Man

Abhay is swigging what looks like a combo of cold coffee and a protein shake. Oddly close to his family, he refers to his uncle, Dharmendra, Read More">as Dad and his father Ajit as Uncle. “I grew up with two sets of parents – my biological ones and my uncle and aunt. My grandmother set theRead More

Abhay is swigging what looks like a combo of cold coffee and a protein shake. Oddly close to his family, he refers to his uncle, Dharmendra, as Dad and his father Ajit as Uncle. "I grew up with two sets of parents - my biological ones and my uncle and aunt. My grandmother set the rule that everyone would call my uncle and aunt, dad and mom. My cousins were my brothers and sisters and that just brought the family closer. I think that's why today, I can accept a complete outsider as family because my own family made me take in my uncle and aunt as my real parents. It was a nice thing." A traditionally conservative family, Abhay is probably the first Deol since Dharmendra to be doing his own thing. Money was never a prerogative and fitting in was thrown out of the window. Living on his own, away from the family, allegedly with his lady love Preeti Desai, a super model, from the UK, Abhay is the definition of cosmopolitan. While he is politically correct, he's also ready to occasionally let his guard down unlike most of Bollywood - this while taking five from saving cinema and resurrecting real. For a boy who grew up loving Daryl Hannah and Michelle Pfeifer, he's a bit of a paradox when he says that he isn't interested in ideals. Pensively looking at the garden outside he grins mischievously as he decides on how best to put it, "Flaws are good. Without flaws life would be boring." He'd know best, considering he's far from being any one's ideal man. Honesty is probably the only thing he cherishes more than anything else - a trait I noticed on the shoot as he glanced across the star studded wall at Rakesh Shrestha's studio and made some rather undiplomatic comments about certain stars and their affinity towards plastic surgery. Their sharp stares and half-opened mouths suddenly seemed to have more reason than they ever did.

Courtesy - The Man

Abhay’s current muse is real estate- his flavour of the week. With three architectural plans – a house from scratch, renovating an Old Portuguese property and an Earthship – set to go on the floor later this year, Read More">he’s a busy man. “I’m planning on building an Earthship – that’s biotecture more than architecture. MikeRead More

Abhay's current muse is real estate- his flavour of the week. With three architectural plans - a house from scratch, renovating an Old Portuguese property and an Earthship - set to go on the floor later this year, he's a busy man. "I'm planning on building an Earthship - that's biotecture more than architecture. Mike Reynolds is the architect that pioneered this type of architecture, which involves the creative use of eco-friendly and recycled materials to build attractive homes. He's not my architect, though, contrary to all the reports. After finishing my film projects, maybe I'll take a whole year off and complete these projects."

Defining himself as an "explorer", Abhay is constantly seeking the answer to who he really is. "We can't really know who we really are. No one knows for sure." Very similar to his characters except for the fact that life doesn't pan out in 90 minutes with a surprise climax that ends in self discovery. "None of the characters I've played are 100 per cent me. They can't be. I've got my head screwed on to my shoulders. I don't indulge in drugs and alcohol - well, at least not anymore. I'm not arrogant, not a chauvinist and not as ambitious in real life. I don't chase anything." Satyaveer Singh from Manorama Six Feet Under was probably the character closest to who he really is - someone who wants to do something for himself. Self-aware, Abhay knows how the world perceives him - a dope fiend, a rebel, mostly without a cause - "Thanks Dev D!" On the other hand, he knows his biggest advantage - the fact that they see him as a normal guy. "People aren't star struck around me and talk to me like they've known me forever. Yet they respect my work. I'm just a regular guy who happens to be an actor. These people are my biggest fans."

Courtesy - The Man

With the values instilled in him by his family, Abhay set out into the world of acting after two years of theatre in LA. Stardom was overrated – having fun, though, wasn’t. Unlike his cousins Sunny and Bobby, Dharmendra, didn’t launch his nephew in an action flick. Instead, Read More">Abhay entered movies without much fanfare inRead More

With the values instilled in him by his family, Abhay set out into the world of acting after two years of theatre in LA. Stardom was overrated - having fun, though, wasn't. Unlike his cousins Sunny and Bobby, Dharmendra, didn't launch his nephew in an action flick. Instead, Abhay entered movies without much fanfare in the understated Imtiaz Ali flick, Socha Na Tha - a decision that would redefine the Deols. Abhay, now, didn't need to fit in. He never championed the cause of the staid and the ones who fitted in, anyhow. With his stereotypical looks it was rather odd that he never got cast in a slew of romantic flicks after his debut. Instead as a super hero husband in Honeymoon Travels to a self-proclaimed author/detective in a sleepy town in Manorama, Abhay was the Bollywood equivalent of Emperor Nero - strumming his fiddle as his movies tanked at the box office one at a time. "I was interested in anything that was non-formula. I had to see where that went because there weren't too many takers. When my first few films didn't do well, there were even fewer takers. Instead of chasing after the production houses that mattered and doing the kind of movies that are supposed to take you places, I did movies that I connected to. Even if I don't make money or become a huge star, I'm happy if I get a steady source of films. I'm not here to fit in. I'm here to have fun. Not fitting in was a great experience. Having failure in the beginning of my career was good."

Courtesy - The Man