Abhay Deol is best remembered for his films Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, Manorama Six Feet Under, Aisha, and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobaara. However, he also gained recognition for belonging to the Deol family, a well-established name in Bollywood. Abhay managed to set himself apart from his family, though, with his rather unconventional film choices. Recently, the actor opened up about many aspects, including how his family felt about his movie selections and whether or not women in the family were allowed to work.
Abhay Deol clarifies the Deol family’s stance on women working, says they were only barred from cinema
In a recent conversation with Filmfare, Abhay Deol got candid about several aspects, one of them being the Deol family’s stance on women working. The actor conceded that his family was conservative. However, he clarified that women in his family were allowed to work, but they were barred from entering films.
Abhay Deol says his family’s conservative ways extended beyond the women in the family
Abhay Deol further revealed that his family’s conservative ways weren’t limited to the women in the family. The actor said that his family wanted to hold on to their small-town values, due to which the kids in the family were never allowed to attend ‘filmy parties’ or interact with other star kids. He said:
“While growing up we were pretty conservative, we were a joint family with seven kids in the house. Films were something I was exposed to from childhood, through my uncle and father. They came from humble backgrounds, they came from a village, and for them the big city and world of glamour was alien. They want to hold on to their small-town values, which I can see in retrospect. Back then I didn’t understand why were held back from going to ‘filmy parties’ as they call them, or mingle with the industry kids or the industry. They were trying to protect us, but back then I was confused.”
Abhay Deol said his family wasn’t surprised by his film choices as he was a rebellious kid
Abhay Deol also stated that his family wasn’t surprised by his unconventional film choices in the least. That said, his family was initially concerned by his choices. Abhay stated:
“What I did with the film industry, my family was not surprised at all. They always said I should either be a lawyer or an actor. If you ask Bobby or Sunny Deol, they will just tell you that I argue a lot. I started as a left-hander and they made me a right-hander, and I kept questioning it. Early in my career, the film choices I made, they were concerned.”
Over time, though, Abhay’s family got used to his movie choices as his rebellious and argumentative nature had prepared the same. Talking about how their reaction to his films changed over time, Abhay said:
“They did make my first movie Socha Na Tha, and they were okay with that, but with the later choices like Manorama or Ek Chaalis Ki Last Local, they made peace with my choices with Dev D and Oye Lucky Lucky Oye. They just didn’t want me to go down that path because they were concerned. My father was worried, he hated Manorama because that was not a language they understood or a change they saw happening.”
What do you think about Abhay Deol’s revelation that his family is conservative and women were only stopped from working in films?
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