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In the past few weeks, Abhay Deol has taken a stand against the discrimination of minorities in our country, advocated against fairness creams and sheer hypocrisy of Bollywood celebrities. After Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, he didn’t flinch from calling a spade a spade.
In a recent interview with Hindustan Times, Abhay Deol opened up about Bollywood’s lobby culture, exposed how award shows work, and opened up about why he is taking a stand against such injustices.
Abhay said how Sushant Singh Rajput’s death shook him up to the core and he felt as if he had the responsibility to take a stand against the film industry’s ills.
“Sushant’s death definitely sort of pushed me to speak up a little bit. But, this isn’t my first time speaking up. In the past, I’ve taken on the biggest. I’m sorry it took someone’s death to wake everybody up. But I’m glad that people have taken note and they want to be heard. They’re asking for a change not just from the outside of the industry but even from the inside. What’s good today is that actors are speaking out. I had become quite because I didn’t want to be the only one screaming. No man is an island, after all. And, without support, I alone couldn’t have brought about the change we need. So, I decided to speak up once again.”
Talking about how insensitively competitive the industry can get, where everyone’s waiting to crush the other, Abhay Deol said:
“It’s an extremely competitive space. People are highly insecure and you’ll often hear them say, ‘Your failure is my success’. People planting false stories about you, paid-for reviews being deliberately negative, people gaslighting you within the industry to sabotage you, people robbing you of a nomination or a win at an award show — these are some of the ways in which you make another person’s failure your success. Now, imagine a person with a mental illness being thrown in this toxic environment. For sure, it would take a toll. They are, after all, more vulnerable.”
Speaking about award shows, he revealed how they too are a reminder of the “systemic corruption” that exists in the film and music industry.
“Very rarely I had gone to these award functions from the beginning of my career. I was coming around to see the industry’s point of view and suddenly, this was a hard reminder of the systemic corruption that exists in the industry. Positioning was based on the market value of the artiste not on the structure of the plot of the movie. And the shocking thing is that it was all accepted because that’s the way the industry functions.”
He revealed how awards are given based on one’s appearance to the shows and not based on one’s talent and performance. It has more to do with the PR of celebrities and TRP of the show.
He gave an example of how once, he was unable to attend an award function where he was to receive an award. When he called the authorities to inform them of the same and said that he could send a recording of himself instead, he was told that the award would be given to someone else then.
“It’s funny. Even though I’m an insider, I’m pretty much an outsider,” said Abhay.
Talking about the industry’s pervasive “lobby culture”, Abhay said:
“Lobby culture has been prevalent in our industry not for years, but decades. Hence, no one thinks about standing up or bothering to do anything. They are all ready to conform, which is why they know that they can get away with it. The reason I can say this is because I grew up in a film family and I’ve heard of these games even as a child. As a kid, I heard it through other people’s experiences, and as a professional, I have seen it myself.”
We hope that Abhay’s persistent efforts, along with more celebrities opening up about their experiences, result in some long-awaited and necessary change in the industry. The entertainment industry needs to be more inclusive and respectful of talent and performance rather than one’s lineage.
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