Having
delivered
a
slew
of
sleeper
hits
that
broke
Bollywood
stereotypes
and
gave
the
Indian
film
industry
a
new
direction,
Abhay
Deol,
who
hails
from
an
illustrious
film
family,
is
being
touted
as
India's
young,
successful
new-age
hero.
His
much-discussed
Hindi
film,
Road
Movie,
has
been
officially
invited
for
a
world
premiere
as
a
special
presentation
at
The
Toronto
International
Film
Festival,
2009.
In
a
rare
interview,
the
young
Deol
opens
up
about
the
film
that's
been
kept
guarded
all
this
time:
What
was
your
reaction
when
you
first
heard
the
narration
of
Road,
Movie
from
Dev
Benegal?
I
didn't
have
a
narration,
I
actually
read
the
script
and
it
was
really
nice,
dreamy
and
humorous.
It's
Rajasthan
(a
North-Indian
state),
so
I
kinda
had
a
nice
feel
about
it.
I
knew
Dev
(Benegal)
and
was
sure
that
he
would
get
a
good
team
together.
Then
there
was
Studio
18
behind
it,
which
was
a
big
plus
point
as
well.
It's
important
for
a
good
script
and
director
to
have
the
right
backing.
All
I
had
to
do
is
to
sign
on
the
dotted
line,
which
I
did!
Road,
Movie
has
been
produced
for
Indian
Films
and
Studio
18
by
well-known
US-based
producers,
Ross
Katz
and
Susan
B.
Landau.
Did
you
know
about
them?
I
got
to
know
Susan
on
the
shoot;
she
was
the
person
behind
the
wheel
driving
us.
It
was
cute
to
watch
her
work
in
an
Indian
milieu.
On
the
way
she
began
to
pick
up
a
bit
of
Indian-ness,
which
was
great.
I
met
Ross
briefly
in
New
York
at
the
screening
of
Slumdog
Millionaire.
Tell
us
the
experience
of
working
with
Tannishtha
Chatterjee
and
Satish
Kaushik
in
Road,
Movie?
Satish
Kaushik
and
Tannishta
are
seasoned
actors
with
a
great
body
of
work.
I
got
to
know
them
during
the
making
of
the
film
and
it
was
a
pleasure.
Dev
is
a
great
director
to
work
with
as
well.
He's
very
clear
in
his
thought
process
and
very
receptive
to
ideas
and
opinions.
When
he
has
something
nice
to
say
that
means
he's
really
angry
and
when
he
has
something
nasty
to
say
he's
really
happy.
He
was
nasty
for
the
most
part
so
that
was
a
good
thing!
Tell
us
a
bit
about
your
character
in
Road
Movie?
It's
very
different
from
the
ones
I've
played
previously.
He's
very
simple,
urban
and
non-verbal.
It
was
a
journey
through
life
for
him
-
comic,
dramatic,
coming
of
age,
growing
up
and
discovering
freedom.
He
doesn't
have
an
idea
of
what
he
wants
to
do,
all
he
know
is
that
he
doesn't
want
to
be
in
this
town
because
he
doesn't
see
a
future
for
himself.
He
fears
he'll
end
up
like
his
father.
The
truck
is
an
integral
character
in
Road,
Movie.
Tell
us
a
bit
about
your
romance
with
it?
It
was
hectic
but
fun.
I
had
to
drive
a
truck-
a
1943
Chevy
in
which
a
brand
new
engine
had
to
be
put!
It
wouldn't
go
further
than
40-50
miles
an
hour
and
in
a
sequence
where
I
had
to
drive
it
really
fast
everyone
was
afraid
that
the
truck
would
collapse!
The
wind
shield
was
too
low,
so
I
had
to
slouch
and
drive.
The
rear
view
mirrors
looked
up
on
the
back
of
the
truck
so
I
couldn't
see
the
traffic
behind
me
but
over
time
I
got
used
to
it.
What's
been
your
biggest
take-away
from
the
Road,
Movie
experience?
It
was
my
eighth
film,
I
was
mature
by
then...
it
was
a
great
experience
overall.
I
made
some
great
friends
and
slogged
in
the
desert
heat.
I
hope
it
does
well
because
it's
not
a
run-of-the-mill
Bollywood
film.
It
is
a
dry
feel-good
comedy,
poetic
and
subtle
in
its
humour,
beautifully
shot
and
surreal.
What
would
you
say
is
the
USP
of
Road,
Movie?
Its
execution.
It's
a
beautifully
shot
universal
story
with
minimal
dialogues.
The
movie
is
told
through
silences
through
the
road
journey.
What
were
your
thoughts
on
finding
out
about
its
official
selection
and
world
premiere
at
the
prestigious
Toronto
International
Film
Festival,
2009?
I
was
excited
and
delighted
because
this
is
the
kind
of
film
that
merits
a
huge
international
platform.
Its
script
was
an
official
selection
at
L'Atelier
du
Cannes
in
2006.
It
is
being
represented
internationally
by
Fortissimo
Films.
Road,
Movie
is
their
first
Indian
take-up.
The
film
is
Indian
at
heart
but
international
in
attitude
and
personality.
It
caters
to
the
South-Asian
and
mainstream
audiences
alike.
Story first published: Wednesday, September 16, 2009, 14:55 [IST]