Abhay Deol has avoided the commercial cinema that his family is known for. He stated in an interview with Rediff that he is not into acting because of his famous uncle and his cousin, but that he was involved in theatre in school. "At 18, I decided to take the plunge. It took me 10 years because I didn't want to leave my education to get into films."[1]
He made his film debut in the 2005 film Socha Na Tha. The film made little impact at the box office, but got him good reviews for his performance. His second film was Ahista Ahista in 2006 which also earned him positive critical reviews. His first 2007 release was Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. which has a multi-star cast and emerged as a box office success.[2] His second 2007 release was Ek Chalis Ki Last Local. His third film in 2007 Manorama Six Feet Under, won the Best Film at the Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival in New York City. He also won a Best Actor award for his role. His 2008 movie Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! was a big hit, not just with critics but with the masses as well and established him as a dependable mainstream actor.
Abhay Deol is also the pivotal person behind the 2009 Bollywood film Dev.D, a modern day version of Devdas which he himself devised, and in which he enacts the title role. About being compared to Shah Rukh Khan and veteran Dilip Kumar, who have played Devdas in the past, Deol told Radio Sargam "I'm not too scared of the comparisons. I am aware of the fact but I don't get into that too much. After all, I was compared to my brothers and uncle when I came to the industry. So I am used to it and only worry about my work. So after them, it would very well be Shah Rukh Khan".[3]
Dev.D, directed by Anurag Kashyap, released on 6 February 2009 and was critically acclaimed. The Times of India gave 5 out 5 stars to the movie and it did very well at the box office.
Deol has been the cover of Man's World and Time Out Mumbai, with titles such as "the new face of Indian cinema". He placed seventh on Zoom's "50 Most Desirable Hotties" poll for 2009.[4] He has often been described in the media as the thinking woman's sex symbol.
His latest release is Road, Movie with Tannishtha Chatterjee. Deol has also started producing films through his company Forbidden Films. For Basra, the first film under his new production company,[5] Deol learned the Israeli martial art Krav Maga.[6] He also trained to be a deep-sea diver for his film Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara which was filmed in Spain.[7]
Abhay lives in Mumbai, where he also grew up. He is a self-described fan of "cinema that has the 'real' element" and lists his favourite films as Chupke Chupke, Mother India, and Dr. Strangelove.[1]
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Socha Na Tha | Viren | Nominated, Filmfare Best Male Debut Award |
| 2006 | Ahista Ahista | Ankush | |
| 2007 | Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. | Aspi | |
| Ek Chalis Ki Last Local | Nilesh | ||
| Manorama Six Feet Under | Satyaveer | ||
| 2008 | Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! | Lucky | Movie won the National Award for Best Popular Film |
| 2009 | Dev.D | Dev | Movie won 6 Filmfare Awards in 2009 |
| Meridian Lines | Vijay | ||
| 2010 | Road, Movie | Vishnu | Special screening at the Toronto International Film Festival |
| Zindagi Milegi Na Dobara | Filming | ||
| Basra | Amal Sinha | ||
| Aisha | Arjun | ||
| Darkness Visible | |||
| Neither the Veil Nor the Four Walls | Directed by Afia Nathaniel |
