EXCLUSIVE Interview with The Correspondent Deputy Editor, Gourav Sharma:

Bobby Deol has had a resurrection of sorts with Animal. He has only a 15-minute role in the film and plays the villain and yet, people have taken to his character, Abrar Haque, big time. Even he’s hard-pressed to explain the popularity of his character. The hype is even bigger than what he saw with his debut film Barsaat (1995). It’s like a new generation of fans have rediscovered him and are liking what they’re seeing. Thanks to OTT, he got to act in products like Aashram and Love Hostel, where his dark-hued roles got him a lot of plaudits. Now, Animal has cemented that foundation and looks like Bobby is all set to play another big innings. But the Deols have all been like that. You write them off at your own peril…

Thanks to your role in Animal, you’ve been flooded with compliments over the internet.
I feel like I am dreaming. It was so humbling and overwhelming. It has been an amazing year for all of us. Bhaiya’s film was a blockbuster. Papa’s film did very well, and now Animal has given me so much love and appreciation. When Papa’s film Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani got released, the character that Papa played, if somebody else had played it, the magic wouldn’t have happened. And then, when Sunny Bhaiya’s Gadar 2 got released, I was so happy that after 22 years, Bhaiya’s film has been such a big hit. I did have a gut feeling that Animal would be made well, as Sandeep Reddy Vanga was directing it. But I never thought that it would garner such a huge box office collection. God has really been kind and the love of my fans and the audience has just been extremely amazing.

We have seen you teary-eyed after the success of the film.
I am a very emotional person. And there is nothing wrong with that. We Deols are like this only. I am not able to control my excess emotions because I have waited for many years for this day.

Which is the best compliment you’ve received so far for this role?
Many of my colleagues and my juniors have called and wished me well. I have spoken to some of them and have received many messages. The kind of love the industry gave to my brother after Gadar 2 became a hit, I’m getting the same kind of love from them.

  How did your family react to your performance?
When I met my father, he told me that people were going crazy over you. He is very fond of checking social media reactions. He was so happy. I told him, “Haanji papa, main aapka beta hun isliye mujhe itna pyar mil raha hai.” I feel that I have finally achieved something to make my father proud. He feels that I have done something special for him. Bhaiya is also very happy. So every evening, when he comes back from work, we look at each other and wonder about what’s currently been happening in our lives.

Has the definition of success changed for you?
What is success? For me, the biggest achievement is to be understood as an actor. I just want to be loved by people as an actor. I mean, people love me, but I want them to see my work and to achieve that in a role that’s only 15 minutes long. That’s special, indeed. I never imagined this. That’s why I call it a dream. So every actor dreams that they will get that kind of fame and love. I am getting all of it together at once. It’s heady indeed.

When Sandeep Reddy Vanga offered you this film, did you feel that you would be able to play this extremely violent role?
I have done many action films in my life. It was challenging. But when you are okay with being challenged, then everything becomes easy. That’s how I look at it. I want to be thrown into situations as an actor where I really have to find a way to perform and that’s the joy of every actor.

How did you prepare physically and mentally to play Abrar Haque?I didn’t look at Abrar’s character as a villain. I looked at it like a hero. His grandfather committed suicide in front of his eyes, and that shocked him. Because of that shock, he loses his voice. He loves his family so much that he will kill for them. He is a romantic. He has three wives. And he wants to avenge his grandfather’s death. And that’s how I looked at it. I love my family very much, so I imagined that. Physically, I did a lot of gym work. I had to control my diet. In fact, I had to control it so much for two to three months that I stopped feeling hungry. I used to work out thrice a day. But I used to enjoy it because I knew the benefit of that would be something else.

Do these kinds of characters affect you mentally?
Nothing at all. No. I am an actor. I switched off. Nothing affects me. I have done so much before this. I have done Aashram. When I was doing Aashram, the character was way more villainous than the one in Animal.

People loved your negative characters in Aashram and then Love Hostel.
When I was doing a negative role in an Aashram, I felt weird. I would feel disgusted with myself. But I reminded myself that I was only playing a character. In every person, there is something good and bad. You become good only when you can control your bad. In the evening, when I would eat along with other actors, I would feel normal. It doesn’t affect me.

There have been mixed reviews for this film owing to the violence.
Every film gets mixed reviews. There is so much violence in the world. We have made something related to what’s happening in the world. Everybody is ready to create a fuss. We are not promoting violence.

A good co-actor helps you give your best. Did something similar happen when you shared the screen space with Ranbir Kapoor?
I am a big fan of Ranbir. According to me, he is one of the best actors today. He is just amazing. He and I are both from film families and we have been through the same things, and our families have been through similar things. He is such a big star, yet he gave me so much respect. And such people are few and far between in our industry. So I became even a bigger fan of his as a person.

From chocolate boy to villain, do you give credit for this transformation to OTT?
Obviously. I give complete credit to OTT because it has given opportunities to so many actors and technicians. Every actor wants to play different characters and we don’t get that chance. And OTT gave me that chance. So
I think that’s one of the best things that has happened to me.

You have come out of a dark phase. You overcame alcoholism. How did you gather the strength for this fight?
Self-belief is the most important thing to anyone. If you don’t believe in yourself, then how will you move forward? For that, you need to be focused and disciplined. Discipline is an important thing. And that’s how I have moved forward. There was self-doubt for sure; that’s why people didn’t want to work with me. I used to think, “What is wrong with me?”I started doubting myself.

What has failure taught you?
Stay focussed. If you are focused, you will stay disciplined. You lose discipline, then you get depressed. I have learnt this from my Papa and Sunny Bhaiya. Self-belief is important. Be true to yourself and be a good human being.

Your wife, Tanya, has always been supportive.
She is my backbone. Being married to her is the best thing that has happened to me. She is a simple and strong lady. Only a wife can understand her husband’s difficulties. She understands me very well. She is very talented and a successful entrepreneur.She has three kids and she looks after them. The biggest one is me (laughs). The other two are younger than me.

What kind of relationship do you share with your sons?

When we were growing up, Papa used to be busy with film shoots. So we hardly got a chance to spend time with him. But I can say I was lucky to spend time with him. I used to go with him for outdoor shooting. My father always complains that I don’t open my heart to him. But that’s not been easy for me, as we were brought up differently. That era was different, as there was too much distance between father and son. I’ve tried to negate that and look upon my sons as my friends and be as close to them as possible.

Having seen the extremes of life in showbiz, what advice would you like to share with your sons?
First, be a good human being. Believe in yourself. Be disciplined. Be focused.

Animal Park is coming, so are you going to rise from the dead?
(Laughs) I didn’t even know about it till I saw the film. I wasn’t told the entire story. I was only narrated and given the gist of the entire film. People are forming their own stories about it now and some are very interesting. But I don’t know anything about it.

The post “I just want to be loved by people as an actor,” says Bobby appeared first on The Correspondent.

2020 was arguably the worst year of our lives. How do you look back on the year?

I think looking back, people of my generation will never forget this year. People were struggling financially and emotionally throughout this year. They still are. We don’t know what lies ahead. Emotions were heightened as people were locked down together. We don’t know what the world will be like once things get back to normal. 2020 was one of the most difficult years for anyone who has lived through the year.

What is your takeaway from this traumatic year?

My takeaway? Ah…I am not really sure. I guess  it is the art  of survival. If we could get through this year then any  other future hurdles, traumas  and tragedies would be easy to  face. Emotionally and financially no year could be more challenging than this. The small  businesses are especially vulnerable right now. Let’s  pray for their survival.

The OTT platform has changed the profile of the Hindi film audience. What is your take on cinema versus the digital platform?

I don’t think cinema is ever going to be the same again. The digital platform has made sure  of that in 2020. We have all restructured and acclimatized our brains and lives to watch content digitally, and we enjoy it that way. I’ve no idea  what will happen to the movie theatres. I  hope they get back  on their feet. But I don’t think movie theatres will  ever be the same.

What  films did you watch this year?

I consumed a lot of digital shows. I didn’t watch too many films, actually.  I was  in  US most of  the time so I  watched  a lot   of  American shows. I am right  watching Netflix’s Queen Of  The   South.

Irrfan, Rishi Kapoor, Sushant… your thoughts on their abrupt departure?

Yes so many valuable lives lost. I think there’s one force that decides life and death. I believe  in God. I believe he chooses when we live and when we die. When we flounder and when we thrive. I personally didn’t know these great actors. So I cannot feel for them them way their friends and family can. But I hope they are at peace wherever  they are.

There were some ugly run-ins on the social media which you handled with aplomb. What is your take on the toxicity on social media?  

Toxicity  on social medium is here to stay. During this lockdown, yes, I had some run-ins that were not nice. But during this  lockdown a lot  of people from the entertainment industry had to face a  lot more negativity that  I did. I  got a lot  of  this  hatred  when I first came to Bollywood. With time I pushed past it.  I don’t think toxicity on social media will ever  go away. I had never before seen such a large community of haters before.

What  is your advice  to the trauma  of  the trolled?

My  advice is to push past the hatred. Don’t stop doing what  you are  doing. Keep posting fun things about who  you are and  what  you love to do. Don’t read the comments. The haters  will soon  find another  target. So don’t let it get to you. Some of us  have opted out of social  media. My  advice to  them is , come back, guys. I want to see  your pictures of the fun things that you do. Don’t let the .05  percent  of haters spoil the  fun.

Your plans  for  2021?

My plan is to work  my butt  off and make up for lost time. To make  up for  my lost opportunities.  I do have a job and I  like  it and I like making money from  it, just like you do. I hope to get back  to work fully  in 2021. I also hope to spend as much time as possible  with my family. I have severe anxiety bouts about being separated from them.

The post I Plan To Work My Butt Off In 2021, I Like My Job, Making Money From It: Sunny Leone appeared first on The Correspondent.

“It is a story waiting to be told. It is a story of empowerment, courage, loyalty and complete dedication to the cause of the nation,” said Vanit Nalwa.

The rights of the book has been acquired by Almighty Motion Picture. “It’s the biggest pride for any Sikh to get an opportunity to even be a tiny part of a project on S. Hari Singh Nalwa ji. Every country of the world through the medium of visual, showcase their legends and I think it is time for us to go on forefront… Not only in India but the whole world should know that there were Generals like S. Hari Singh Nalwa Saheb who never lost a single battle,” said producer Prabhleen Kaur.

The post Hari Singh Nalwa’s life to be adapted into series and film appeared first on The Correspondent.

While the Season 8 is still going on and the last war about to happen between the Dragon Queen and Cersei, fans have created a meme riot stating that the latter will win, because she is a BJP supporter. For those unaware, Lotus is the symbol of Bharatiya Janata Party which is ruling as of now. Apparently, she also has tattoos of Goddess Kali and Lord Ganesha.

Game of Thrones will conclude its series with this final season. The previous episode saw Arya defeat the Night King and now Westeros will come face to face as two queens fight for the Iron Throne.

The Correspondent Bureau with inputs from agencies

The post Indians Say Cersei Will Win The Last War Because She Supports BJP! appeared first on The Correspondent.