Abhay Deol is an Indian actor and producer who predominantly works in Bollywood films.
Wiki/Biography
Abhay Singh Deol was born on Monday, 15 March 1976 (age 46 years; as of 2022) in Mumbai. His zodiac sign is Pisces. He took admission to Jamnabai Narsee School, Mumbai but dropped out in between and started pursuing an acting and theatre course at The City College of New York.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 6′ 1″
Weight (approx.): 70 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Body Measurements (approx.): Chest 41′ Waist 33′ Biceps 13′
Family
Parents & Siblings
Abhay’s father’s name is Ajit Singh Deol (deceased), who was a filmmaker and actor.
Abhay Deol’s father
His mother’s name is Usha Deol.
Abhay Deol’s mother
Wife & Children
As of 2022, he is unmarried.
Other relatives
He is the nephew of actor Dharmendra and the cousin of Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Esha Deol and Ahana Deol.
Abhay Deol with his uncle
Abhay Deol with his cousins
Relationships/Affairs
As of 2022, Abhay is in a relationship with model and actress Shilo Shiv Suleman.
Abhay Deol with Shilo Shiv Suleman
Caste
Abhay was born into a Hindu Jatt family.
Career
Film
Abhay made his debut with the Hindi film Socha Na Tha in 2005.
Abhay Deol in the film ‘Socha Na Tha’
He has appeared in other Hindi films including Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008), Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), Happy Bhag Jayegi (2016), Zero (2018), and Velle (2021).
Abhay Deol in the film ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’
He has co-produced the Hindi film One By Two (2014) and produced the Hindi film What Are The Odds (2019).
Poster of the film ‘What Are The Odds’
In 2019, he also made his Tamil film debut with the film Hero.
Poster of the Tamil film ‘Hero’
Television
Abhay made his television debut in 2014 with the television show Gumrah: End of Innocence as a host.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5jzT-KB-nI
In 2021, he appeared in the television film Spin.
Abhay Deol in the television film ‘Spin’
Web Series
In 2020, he made his debut with the web series JL50 on SonyLIV and in 2021, he appeared in the web series 1962: The War in the Hills on Disney+ Hotstar.
Abhay Deol in the web series ‘JL50’
Controversies
Skipping the promotion of film ‘Aisha’
In 2010, Abhay skipped the promotion of the film ‘Aisha’ because the film was flop. In an interview, he talked about this and said,
When I was shooting, I realised that the film was more about clothes than actual acting. I even read reviews of the movie that praised the clothes. I would like to say today that I will never ever be part of a film like Aisha in my lifetime. It’s not the kind of film I’d like to do.”
Later in 2010, actor Anil Kapoor talked about Abhay on Koffee with Karan and said that he needed help.
Protest against T-Series
In 2014, he protested against the music label ‘T-Series’ for not releasing the music of his film ‘One By Two’ by coming with a black eye at the Screen Awards. He posted about this on his Facebook account and said that he would not sign any contract with the company so that it does not affect any singer or music composer. In an interview, T-series clarified the confusion and said,
We regret to inform you that we have decided to relinquish the music rights of ‘One By Two’. Although we had all the rights from Viacom, we are unable to release the music album in the absence of valid link agreements between Viacom and composers (Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy) of the album.”
Abhay Deol appeared with black eye on award show
Fight with co-star Sonam Kapoor
In 2017, he had a fight with actor Sonam Kapoor after Abhay criticized some Bollywood actors for appearing in fairness creams ads. He took the names of actors Shah Rukh Khan, Vidya Balan, Deepika Padukone, Sonam Kapoor, Sidharth Malhotra, and Shahid Kapoor in the Facebook posts. Replying to this, Sonam said that Abhay’s cousin Esha Deol had also appeared in the same ads.
Abhay not given much importance during the award show
In 2020, he shared a post on Instagram where he revealed that he and Farhan Akhtar were not considered during the award shows and Hrithik Roshan was considered as the lead actor. In the post, he wrote,
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, released in 2011. Need to chant this title to myself everyday nowadays! Also a great watch when anxious or stressed. I would like to mention that almost all the award functions demoted me and Farhan from main leads, and nominated us as ‘supporting actors’. Hrithik and Katrina were nominated as “actors in a leading role”. So by the industry’s own logic, this was a film about a man and a woman falling in love, with the man supported by his friends for whatever decisions he takes.”
Slamming the film ‘Raanjhanaa
In 2013, Abhay said that the film Raanjhanaa had a backward storyline and promoted sexual harassment. Sharing a note on social media, he wrote,
Such clear and valid insight from @oldschoolrebel9 regarding the film Raanjhana. History will not look kindly at this film for its regressive message. It’s been a theme in Bollywood for decades, where a boy can (and should), pursue a girl until she relents. Only in cinema does she do that willfully. In reality we have seen time and again that it leads to sexual violence of some sort. Glorifying it on screen only leads to blaming the victim, as @oldschoolrebel9 explains it so brilliantly. Please do take time out to read her observations in the pics above. #shedoesnotlikeyou #growup #gloryfyingsexualharrasment.”
Award
In 2007, he won the Best Actor Award at Indo-American Arts Council Awards for the film Manorama Six Feet Under.
Favourites
- Desserts: Tiramisu, Kaju barfi, Gulab jamun, Muffin
- Film(s): Bicycle Thieves (1948, Italian), Dr Strangelove (1964), Brazil (1985), Children of Heaven (1997), Star Wars
- Director: Stanley Kubrick
- Restaurant: Blue Frog in Mumbai
- Travel Destination(s): New York, Mediterranean sea, Thailand
Facts/Trivia
- Abhay was called by the name ‘Dimpy’ because of his dimples.
- His hobbies include travelling, yoga, and martial arts.
- When he was young, he thought that he would directly work in Hollywood and would not even try working in Bollywood. In an interview, he said that when he started his career, he always thought of maintaining his family’s image.
- In 2009, he was included in the list of Zoom’s ’50 Most Desirable Hotties.’
- In 2014, he mortgaged his Juhu flat to get over the debt caused by the film ‘One By Two.’
- Abhay is commonly known for playing different roles and not typical Bollywood hero roles. In an interview, he talked about his choice of roles and said,
Look, everybody has some kind of difficulties. Maintaining stardom is difficult; getting to be a star is also difficult. So it is not about that. It is about believing in yourself. When you are playing the star game you find a lot of people to support you in that but when you are not playing a star game there is less support system around you. You are more on your own and that is what sets it apart. But I won’t say this is more difficult than that, both are difficult. But it is harder to have a system that is supportive around you when you are not playing the star game. There is less attention, less infrastructure, less guarantees and you could say that is difficult. It is a less inhabited space. It is a more lonely space. You really have to be secure with who you are. So there are pros and cons. But at least one of the advantages I find is there is more authenticity in this space and there isn’t in the star space. Not that there aren’t people with agendas around you, you get taken advantage of but that happens in both the cases. It is finding your people and your crew and holding on to them.”
- In an interview, he said that for the film Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, he took deep-sea diving training.
- He has appeared on several magazine covers including the Man’s World and Time Out Mumbai.
Abhay Deol on the cover of the magazine ‘Man’s World’
- He has a production house ‘Forbidden Films.’ In an interview, he talked about becoming a producer and said,
As an actor I’ve always wanted to balance mainstream and non-mainstream work…now digital is here, independent filmmakers finally have a platform, so I decided to take the plunge and explore this space.
- In an interview, he said that he was scared of cockroaches.
- In an interview, he talked about sexism in the Bollywood industry and said,
Sometimes we are sexist without knowing it simply because of our conditioning…and only if you are open to seeing your faults can you see them and when you do, you grow in leaps and bounds. That conditioning then just dies in a moment.”
