Bollywood actor Abhay Deol has opened up about his 2011 hit Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and the treatment he received by the award shows after that.
Deol shared that he didn’t approve of him and and co-star Farhan Akhtar being categorized as ‘supporting actors’ while Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif were considered as the ‘leads’ of the film.
In an elaborate note on Instagram, he explained how the rom-com has been a great stress reliever for him during difficult times. “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara released in 2011. Need to chant this title to myself everyday nowadays! Also a great watch when anxious or stressed,” Deol wrote.
However, Deol revealed that he was ignored by award shows, even when he had played the lead alongside Roshan and Kaif.
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According to the Dev D actor, “all the award functions demoted me and Farhan from main leads, and nominated us as ‘supporting actors’. Hrithik and Katrina were nominated as ‘actors in a leading role’. So by the industry’s own logic, this was a film about a man and a woman falling in love, with the man supported by his friends for whatever decisions he takes.”
He also mentioned boycotting the awards because of this but Akhtar, on the other hand, approved of this arrangement. “There are many covert and overt ways in which people in the industry lobby against you. In this case, it was shamelessly overt. I of course boycotted the awards but Farhan was ok with it,” he stated.
Directed by Zoya Akhtar, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara was a multi-starrer that got nominated for several accolades, and bagged two National Film Awards as well.
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