Deol. No bulging muscles, no loud Punjabi dialogues. Abhay Deol has veered away from the path cousins Sunny and Bobby had set out on, choosing instead to act in a different, more experimental kind of cinema. The 32-year-old actor's latest film is yet another adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's eponymous novel Devdas and opens in Indian cinemas next month. Deol spoke to Reuters about modernising Devdas with “Dev D” and why he has turned producer. Q: In your new film “Dev D”, are you somewhat distorting one of India's most well-known tragic heroes? A: “Why do you assume that it's going to distort? And I kind of came up with the idea myself, so I had to go out there and find someone who would produce which I don't have the ability to, at least not right then. I wanted to approach (director) Anurag (Kashyap) with it.” “And in terms of distorting the character, it's not at all distorted. The change is only superficial in terms of the setting, the cars, the clothes and all that. But inside of it it's the same story. My interpretation of this character was that he is trying to provoke you, and he is also of course -- he is dealing in the area of abuse.” “It actually goes into substance abuse, which comes from the personality that Devdas has. You can see this even in the way that he deals with Paro, he is more obsessed with her than he is in love with her.” Q: Could you tell us about the challenges that a character like this brings to the table? A: “In terms of challenges, I have tried to bring some of the emotions from my own life. At whatever stage in my life I have been obsessive or experimented with drugs or refused to listen to my family, I have put all those emotions in the character.” “The reason I came up with the concept of this film is because I have grown up in Mumbai and drugs was something that was easily available. It's not like I abused anything, but I experimented enough. That experience took me forward while playing this character.” Q: Is the film a comment on the new consumerist culture that is taking shape in India? A: “It goes there, I suppose, I can't deny that. But you can't escape it, we do live in a consumerist culture, there is new money, so if we are going to be true to our culture, and the youth, and the impact it has had on this country, you have to include that.” Q: Are you apprehensive about any criticism that might come your way for modernizing Devdas? A: Well, I am apprehensive about any criticism that might come my way but I try not to focus on that. I have got a lot of conviction in this one, I think the critics will like, I genuinely think they will like it. Q: Any plans to get behind the camera anytime soon? A: I am going behind the camera but as a producer, not a director. I have launched my production house called Forbidden Films and my first film will be called “Junction”. I am acting in this film, but the effort is to establish myself as a producer and act in films that other people produce. Q: Why production? A: Because it's exciting. To be honest, I never thought I would get into production. It's the last area I would venture. I thought I was going to be a director rather than a producer. It's just the fact that there is a whole range of possibilities out there, there is a whole range of talent out there, the process of change that looks like it's here to stay in the industry, the economy has opened up, there is a structure in place, there is an industry in place.” “So, why not? Maybe I should feel the pressures of being a producer once a while rather than just feeling the pressures of being an actor.”
