Abhay Deol Says Sushant's Death Shook Him Up; It Pushed Him To Speak Up On Bollywood's Lobby Culture

Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's untimely death has reignited the debate on topics like nepotism, lobby culture in Bollywood and professional bullying. Recently, Abhay Deol shared an Instagram post, in which he revealed that he boycotted award shows after they "demoted" him and Farhan Akhtar from main leads, and only nominated Hrithik Roshan as "actor in a leading role" for Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara in 2011.

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In a recent interview with Hindustan Times, the Dev D actor called out Bollywood's lobby culture, award functions and spoke about how Sushant Singh Rajput's death pushed him to speak about the biases in the film industry.

Abhay Deol Slams The Lobby Culture In Bollywood

Abhay Deol Slams The Lobby Culture In Bollywood

The actor was quoted as saying by the leading daily, "Lobby culture has been prevalent in our industry not for years, but decades. Hence, no one thinks about standing up, or bothering to do anything. They are all ready to conform, which is why they know that they can get away with it. The reason I can say this, is because I grew up in a film family and I've heard of these games even as a child. As a kid, I heard it through other people's experiences, and as a professional, I have seen it myself."

Abhay Deol Admits Sushant Singh Rajput's Death Shook Him Up And Pushed Him To Talk About The Pressing Issues In The Film Industry

Abhay Deol Admits Sushant Singh Rajput's Death Shook Him Up And Pushed Him To Talk About The Pressing Issues In The Film Industry

Saying that he could relate to the late actor's career, Abhay told Hindustan Times, "Sushant's death definitely sort of pushed me to speak up a little bit. But, this isn't my first time speaking up. In the past, I've taken on the biggest. I'm sorry it took someone's death to wake everybody up. But I'm glad that people have taken note and they want to be heard. They're asking for a change not just from the outside of the industry but even from the inside. What's good today is that actors are speaking out. I had become quiet because I didn't want to be the only one screaming. No man is an island, after all. And, without support, I alone couldn't have brought about the change we need. So, I decided to speak up once again."

Abhay Deol Says He Had Put His Career On The Line From Day One

Abhay Deol Says He Had Put His Career On The Line From Day One

"I focus on my privileges, I have many. I have a family, great set of friends, I have work, I am acting, I am producing, I am working in two countries (India and Los Angeles) currently. I found my path. I never played the game, so, I now find myself playing outside of it," he told the tabloid.

Abhay Deol Says The Biases And Wrong Practices In The Film Industry Can Have A Huge Impact On Mental Health

Abhay Deol Says The Biases And Wrong Practices In The Film Industry Can Have A Huge Impact On Mental Health

Speaking about Bollywood, he said, "It's an extremely competitive space. People are highly insecure and you'll often hear them say, ‘your failure is my success'."

He further continued, "People planting false stories about you, paid-for reviews being deliberately negative, people gaslighting you within the industry to sabotage you, people robbing you of a nomination or a win at an award show - these are some of the ways in which you make another person's failure your success. Now, imagine a person with a mental illness being thrown in this toxic environment. For sure, it would take a toll. They are, after all, more vulnerable."

Abhay Deol Says He Wasn't Surprised When He And Farhan Akhtar Were Demoted From Main Leads To Supporting Actors

Abhay Deol Says He Wasn't Surprised When He And Farhan Akhtar Were Demoted From Main Leads To Supporting Actors

"It was more of a disappointment. By the time ZNMD came out, I was trying to be less idealistic, and more of a realist. Very rarely I had gone to these award functions from the beginning of my career. I was coming around to see the industry's point of view and suddenly, this was a hard reminder of the systemic corruption that exists in the industry. Positioning was based on market value of the artiste not on the structure of the plot of the movie. And the shocking thing is that it was all accepted because that's the way the industry functions," he was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

Abhay Deol Exposes The Shocking Truth About Award Shows

Abhay Deol Exposes The Shocking Truth About Award Shows

The actor revealed that once he was asked to come for an award show with an assurance that he'd get one. Another time when he told a media channel that he won't be able to make to their award show, and can send a recording instead, he was told they'll give the award to somebody else in that case.

"It's true, it's not the first time I've called out the practices within the award functions. And it's not even the first time I've been asked about my absence from these functions. It's funny, even though I'm an insider, I'm pretty much an outsider," Abhay Deol told the tabloid.

Abhay Deol Says Award Shows Are More Of A PR Exercise For The Filmmakers

Abhay Deol Says Award Shows Are More Of A PR Exercise For The Filmmakers

The actor was quoted as saying, "I blame my family; they too called out the corrupt practices of these functions. I do believe these shows are more of a PR exercise for the filmmakers, and a TRP exercise for the platform. I do enjoy seeing talent get awarded that does happen from time to time."

ALSO READ: Abhay Deol Roasts Award Shows For Nominating Him As 'Supporting Cast' In Zindagi Na Milegi DobaraALSO READ: Abhay Deol Roasts Award Shows For Nominating Him As 'Supporting Cast' In Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

ALSO READ: Abhay Deol Reveals He Had A Darker Ending In Mind For Anurag Kashyap's Dev DALSO READ: Abhay Deol Reveals He Had A Darker Ending In Mind For Anurag Kashyap's Dev D

Worried about your mental well-being or of someone you know? Help is just a call away. Reach out to the nearest mental health specialist at COOJ Mental Health Foundation (COOJ)- 0832-2252525, Parivarthan- +91 7676 602 602, Connecting Trust- +91 992 200 1122/+91-992 200 4305 or Sahai- 080-25497777/ SAHAIHELPLINE@GMAIL.COM

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