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'I am very lucky to be a Deol'

Hi, this is Bobby. I am sorry I was avoiding somebody, so couldn’t take your call. Would it be a problem pre-poning our appointment a little?"

"Not really, but we will be 15 minutes late. Do you think you could wait till we reach there?"

"Well, I gotta meet somebody at that time, but ok, come. I will wait for you."

That is how we finally got to meet Bobby Deol. We had decided on the time earlier, but then Bobby had to leave a little early -- hence the call.

When we reach the shooting location, we find him there, waiting for us. He has blood on his face (make-believe, of course), but he is smiling nonetheless.

Bobby is shooting for Guddu Dhanoa's Bichchoo with Rani Mukherjee. And in spite of the violent scene that is being filmed, they seem to be having great fun.

Before we could ask him anything, Bobby takes the recorder from our hands, holds it near his mouth and says, "Ok, shoot."

We decide to do just that. We begin with Badal, which is slated for release on February 11.

Bobby Deol, in conversation with Sharmila Taliculam.

What is Badal all about?

Badal is about the 1984 riots which took place in Delhi and other parts of India following the assassination of Indira Gandhi. Innocent people were killed by corrupt cops who wanted to make it big. And they did make it big. The director, Raj Kanwar's family too was killed during the riots.

So is this film autobiographical?

It's not really based on his life. He has fictionalised his story and shown what happened, how innocent people were termed terrorists.

What is your role in in the film?

I am playing Badal in the film. His family gets slaughtered and he grows up with terrorists. He has only one mission in life: to avenge his family's death. He wants to kill the cop (played by Ashutosh Rana) who massacred his family.

Basically it's about this man who had a loving family when he was young. He loses his family and home. When he grows up, he comes across another loving family, which is Amrish Puri's. He is torn apart between this love and his desire for revenge. It’s an emotional film, but with a lot of action. There is romance too. When the girl (Rani Mukherjee) enters his life, he plunges into further confusion because of all the love he is surrounded by.

In the end, he has to do what he has to do. Badal isn't Raj Kanwar's autobiography. It's the way he sees the world around him. He has made a film on that.

In the past, Kanwar made extremely emotional and dramatic films. How would you describe him as a filmmaker?

He is a very earthy kind of filmmaker. All his films and the songs are rustic. These subjects are easy for him to handle. Because he was emotionally attached to this subject, it helped him script the film. Otherwise, it is great fun working with Raj.

Suddenly, Bobby looks up and asks, 'ready?' He looks at us, switches the tape recorder off and goes, saying 'I will be right back.' He is required for the next shot. There is a house and Bobby runs to one of the windows, screaming, 'Ma-a-a.' He tries to break the iron bars and then runs to the door and kicks it thrice. After which he runs to the other window and has an expression of utter shock on his face. One final scream, 'Ma-a-a-a' and the scene is canned.

He looks around and then walks back towards us. We wonder whether he does this day in and day out -- you know all this screaming and being smeared in blood.

You looked pretty comfortable in that scene. Has it become a habit?

It's not like that. As one acts in more films, one gets used to doing certain things. You see, I am very close to my mother. So anything to do with a mother is easy for me. I am an emotional person.

Is that what attracted you to this character?

It was the idea (for the film) which I liked. If you like the idea, then you like the character that you are playing in the film. Anything that is emotional attracts me. Anything I can relate to. I am very sensitive, so I like to portray this situation -- where I'm in a turmoil since I can't accept the love I'm craving for because if I do, I'll end up hurting the people who love me. But then, this is a Hindi film, so it has a happy ending, of course.

You are doing two films with Rani Mukherjee. How do you find her as a co-star?

Yeah, I am doing two films with Rani. Badal is complete and then there is Bichchoo. She is one of my favourite co-stars. I am not saying it for the heck of it, she really is a very nice person. It’s very important to me that the person I am working with is a nice human being, and she is that. She and Preity. I have known Preity for a long time, I got to know Rani when I started shooting for these films. She has no hassles. She is more of a buddy than a co-star.

How many films do you do in a year?

Not too many -- about five or six a year. But still, I think it is too much.

Why do you do it then?

I don’t know why I end up doing it. You get so disorganised in the industry. Your dates get cancelled for no fault of yours. I suffered a lot last year. I lost almost 100 days because of these cancellations, every film of mine got delayed. So if I am supposed to do four films one year, they carry on to the next and then it becomes too much. You just get into this rut which you can't get out of. And then you forget why you get into it.

But don’t you get confused with the different characters you play in all these films?

True, it is difficult to keep track of so many characters. But I give bulk dates to my films. I always give at least 15 days to one film, which helps a lot. I can’t manage those four-day schedules.

After all these years, have you learned to take success and failure in your stride?

I take success and failure as any human being would. If I am successful, I am happy, and if I am not, I am upset. But I don't let success get to me because I have seen people around me who have been successful and have lost it. I have been taught by my dad to 'be humble and down to earth and you will be happy. Be true to yourself.'

The director calls again. Bobby jumps up and goes running to the sets to do the scene all over again. He seems to be in a hurry, and we remember that he had said he is supposed to go somewhere. As he returns to talk to us, we broach the topic of the debacle of Dillagi, the film directed by his brother, Sunny Deol.

How involved were you with Dillagi?

We are one big family. Financial gains and losses are shared by everybody when it involves a family project. As to how the film was made, it was my brother's project. He decided everything. But I will always be with him and I was there all the time on the sets. I used to sit with him on the scripts as well.

Why did you choose an oft-repeated subject for your brother's first directorial venture?

What happened was that we were in a tricky situation because of London. We were stuck -- badly. But we didn’t want to give up, so my brother decided that he wanted to do it himself. We wanted to make a love story and I agree it was similar to many other films. But Hindi films are similar to each other anyway, no matter how hard you try to make it different.

The characterisations in this film, however, were different. I might have been a Casanova, but there was a different shade to my character. He was a womaniser who never understood what love meant. For him, love was his family, beyond that he didn’t know anything. And he didn’t think he was wrong by not accepting love outside because he didn’t believe in it. That was my character. I felt bad that the film didn’t do well because it was close to my heart.

Can you pinpoint as to what went wrong?

May be, as you said, it was the storyline which was similar to some other films. Or may be, because we brothers are so powerful that people didn’t want to see a love story with us. Or may be, the conflict should have been more between the brothers. There are so many reasons. But the fact remains I love the film as it is. It's my favourite film and I don’t want to justify its failure.

How did you react to the rumours that your father fell ill because the film didn’t do well?

If you watch old Hindi films, you'd notice that when something happened in a family, it became news. In our lives too, when something goes wrong, people have to talk. There is nothing wrong with my dad. Everybody goes for check-ups and my dad went for a routine check-up. People made an issue of it. This is the Indian culture.

We are interrupted for the third time. The scene is the same. We notice there is fire coming out of the house. So, we know it is the hero's mother trapped inside and the hero is trying to rescue her, which he fails to do. Bobby finishes the shot effortlessly and comes back running. He declares that was the last scene and he must go. We, however, shoot a few more questions.

Why did you cut your hair short?

You must have noticed that every time a new actor joins the industry, he wears long hair initially and then cuts it short. My hair was too long and I didn't look like an Indian -- that's what people said. I thought the best way to identify with the masses would be to have short hair. Ninety per cent of the people here have short hair.

Also, my father wanted me to have short hair. As a child, I always wanted to have a hairstyle like dad. As far as i am concerned, my father is the only good-looking man in this world. I wanted to have hair like him, but I couldn’t. because my hair is curly. So I tried to straighten it, but I couldn’t do that either. Eventually I decided to cut my hair short.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a Deol?

I don’t think there are any disadvantages of being a Deol. I am very proud to be a Deol. And I am very lucky to be a Deol. And I wish in every birth of mine, even if I am not in the industry, I should be born in the same family. I have amazing parents and a great family.

You seem to be really close to your family. You keep talking about your father and brother. And it seems like you are the spoilt brat of the family. Is that true?

I can talk about my relationship with my father and my brother in just a few words. We love each other. Our love for each other is so great and deep that there is nothing that can come between us.

I am the youngest. When you are the youngest, you do what you want to most of the time. Eat what you like. So that way, maybe I am spoilt. I got my way with most things. But I am happy with the way my parents have brought me up. I think people like me. I am well-mannered because of my upbringing.

Are you moody?

I am a very moody person. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s an Aquarian trait.

Why did you decide to become an actor -- because both your father and brother were in the industry, or was it because you thought you had the talent?

I wanted to be an actor since I was a kid. I have seen my father get so much love from people. And it was such a nice feeling to see the way people treated him. My dad's a great person. I think any person would love to have fame and the love of the whole country. For me it's important to love, and I wish people in this country love each other, then they will always be happy.

Suddenly, a few people from the unit come to Bobby, with a mobile phone, saying there is a call for him and that they are speaking the truth. He looks at them sceptically. 'I am sure you are teasing me again,' he says. They hand him a mobile phone, saying this time, they are not lying. Only after he takes the phone and starts talking does he stop laughing. After finishing the call, he hands it back, again with a smile. 'I thought that was Rani again. So where were we?' he continues.

You were saying why you became an actor...

Yes. So I saw all that, and it inspired me to be an actor. I guess it happens in most families. When the father is in a business, the children are inclined to be in the same business. I remember when I was in the first standard, the teacher was asking everybody what they wanted to be when they grew up. When my turn came, I promptly said I wanted to be a hero.

Did you go to acting classes to hone your skills, or was the school at home enough?

Learning to act is something I didn’t consider too important. These classes in India don’t know how to train people. I have heard that they have improved now, but when I started, they were really bad. A teacher can teach you how to put the brush on the paper, but beyond that, only if you know how to paint, will you paint something. So it’s luck, talent and hard work, which take you where you have to go.

How do you handle being in the public glare all the time?

That is the saddest part of being an actor. It's part and parcel of being in the movies. Even when I take my wife out, it becomes an issue. I don’t take her out to make an issue of it. I married a woman whom I want to spend my whole life with. So, I want to spend as much time as possible with her. I take her out because she is my wife.

Now, Bobby really has to go. He doesn't bother to change out of his sweaty clothes, nor does he take his makeup off. He just runs towards his van and disappears before we could finish saying 'ta-ta.'