Exclusive | Bobby Deol says he was ‘taken aback’ when Aryan Khan told him that twist in The Ba***ds of Bollywood: ‘I didn’t even tell my family’

After the resounding success of Animal, the audience anticipated that you’d do only tentpoles now. But you went back to streaming with The Ba***ds of Bollywood. The fact is that your career got a second lease of life with streaming. Were you hesitant when Prakash Jha first approached you for Aashram?

I never think of it this way. I’ve never even heard anyone say, “Why is Bobby doing this, and not the mainstream stuff?” For me, I’m an actor. I’m getting the opportunity to do so much more because of OTT platforms. When I was approached for Aashram, I didn’t know what the subject is till I met Prakash ji. Casting director Shruti Mahjan called me and said Prakash Jha would like to meet me. I was just excited because I wanted to work with Prakash ji a few years before that, but it never worked out. Finally, we met and he narrated the idea to me. I kept thinking he’d offer me the police officer’s role that Darshan (Kumar) played. After half an hour of narrating, he said he wanted me to play the baba’s role. I was kind of taken aback. Did I hear him right? Because here I was trying to do different kinds of characters and working out of my comfort zone. And I’m getting an opportunity right in front of me without even trying so hard, that too with Prakash ji. I don’t know what he saw in me. I got that role, and that was the beginning of everything changing for me.

Bobby Deol in Aashram

The Ba***ds of Bollywood has also given a new lease of life to your banger “Duniya Haseeno Ka Mela” from Rajiv Rai’s Gupt: The Hidden Truth (1997). How did you feel when Aryan first narrated that idea to you?

It worked really well because it’s my song and I’m playing this character called Ajay Talwar who’s done a film called Sailaab, and they wanted to connect the whole thing. It was very sweet of Rajiv Rai to give Aryan that song. We just asked him once and he said, “For Bobby, I’ll do anything. If Shah Rukh wants anything, I’ll do anything for him.” Aryan has made this song go viral again. It’s everywhere! It’s great that people are going crazy about it again. But it’s great music by Viju Shah. It’s an evergreen song. I’ve done so many of them, I was lucky.

None of the cast members knew about that twist in the last episode. Did you?

I knew about it. There were maybe a few others too. Aryan had told me about it, but he asked me not to tell anyone. I didn’t, not even to my family. I was taken aback, but it was a great twist. It was definitely very gutsy, but I think it’s the conviction of the director and storytelling. The reason he told me is because I had to bring out those subtle nuances here and there when the story was moving.

Mona Singh and Bobby Deol in new version of the song ‘Duniya Haseeno Ka Mela’ in The Ba***ds of Bollywood.

It’s interesting that you’ve worked in Aryan’s directorial debut, but never shared screen space with Shah Rukh Khan. Why hasn’t that happened yet?

I did a cameo in his film Om Shanti Om years ago, where everybody was there (laughs).

You’re also a part of Alpha, the first feature of director Shiv Rawail, son of Rahul Rawail. Isn’t that great?

Oh yeah, that’s amazing! Can you believe it? My brother’s first film (Sunny Deol’s Betaab, 1983) was directed by Rahul Rawail. And you never even imagined that when Shiv would become a director, his first feature will have me. It’s like a full circle. I’ve also worked with Rahul (Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya, 1997), but I’m thinking how it connects — my brother’s first film was with Rahul, and now I’m doing his son’s first film. Both the brothers have been part of firsts, in different ways.

Your film Bandar, directed by Anurag Kashyap, also premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival this year. How does that feel?

That was a very different kind of character than what I’ve played in films and shows. Usually, you end up playing very larger-than-life characters. You become so conditioned playing those that it becomes more difficult to change the whole process of how you perform. But Anurag really helped me with that. He brought out the best in me.

Bobby Deol in Bandar.

But it’s still a negative character. So is the one you play in Vijay’s last film, Jana Nayagan. Do you feel being the go-to villain in all these films and shows will lead to stereotyping and saturation?

It does happen. But if you really look at it, there are so many variations even in the antagonists. It’s not one particular form of caricature. I choose my antagonist characters seeing that. I don’t want to look or behave the same. Just that there has to be a different feel to the character.

Since you made your debut in the Tamil and Telugu film industries this year, do you see any differences in their cultures vis-à-vis Bollywood?

No, I don’t. They speak a different language. It’s difficult to lip-sync, but it’s fun, it’s challenging. Even when I do Hindi films and shows, I have to sometimes learn Haryanvi, proper Urdu or shuddh Hindi. But that’s the fun of being an actor. It’s been a great experience working in the South industries.

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What’s your next career goal? Or have you left it to fate?

I never leave anything to fate. But fate is something that takes you wherever you have to go. You’ve to work hard, and be focused and disciplined, and keep your self belief so you keep moving forward. Every morning, I say I’m grateful to God for making me get up and go to work. I tell myself I’m going to conquer the world. I inspire and push myself. I’ve got so many roles recently that I never imagined I would. I’m just really enjoying this phase of my career. This is just 30 years, yaar. I’m going to be here for very long, probably as long as my dad (Dharmendra) who’s still going strong at 89, touchwood. If there’s anyone I’m inspired by, it’s only my father. He’s something else.