Abhay Deol has often stirred controversy when he’s opened up about the inner workings of the film industry. This time around, ETimes reports him speaking about how PR cells project a ‘star image’ for actors. Deol also reveals why he never invested in PR machinery.
Abhay says, “People want to interview me, I get interviewed. People recognise me, they tell me they love my work. I don’t feel the lack of recognition at all. If there is any lack of, it’s the lack of investing in a PR machinery to keep me in the news all the time, and project a star image, which I was never interested in.
He confesses that he doesn’t have a star image, “So I do lack that star image, which I myself have to feed. Because all the stars have a PR machinery behind them that feeds into that narrative. I don’t have that, and that’s by choice,” he elucidates.
“But I cannot sit here and say that I am not recognised… People love my work and they tell me that all the time. It’s sad that in India particularly, more so than in America, you just have to constantly feed the beast and stay in the news,” he explains.
He adds, “We’ve created a system where, unless I see you every other day endorsing 10 brands, you’re not recognised. What happened to just the fact that people love you and say that they do, and that journalists want to speak to you and papers are interested in what you have to say?”
Speaking of what success means to him, he says that he still has the option to choose what he wants to do and doesn’t have to accept anything that comes his way, “so if that’s not success I don’t know what is,” Deol signs off.
What do you think of his perspective? Tell us.