Abhinay Deo shot to fame by directing Aamir Khan’s production venture Delhi Belly in 2011. Recently, he also shot an ad film with Sachin Tendulkar. Ask him to choose between the two legends, and Abhinay is a bit unsure. “It is a difficult one to answer. Aamir and Sachin are different kinds of people. Sachin is an easy guy, and contrary to perception, Aamir is a great guy. He is very supportive and one of the best producers you have,” says Abhinay.
He has also helmed a film titled Doosra on cricket. Speaking about Doosra, Abhinay explains that it is about Sourav Ganguly removing and waving his T-Shirt when India won the Natwest Trophy final against England in 2002. “I have finished Doosra. It is based on that incident. I had made it like a half-documentary, half-feature. We wanted it to make it like a theatrical release. But the pandemic had stopped that. We may now release Doosra on the OTT,” Abhinay shares.
Looking back on his career as a director, Abhinay says, “I made Game along with Delhi Belly, and it didn’t do well. But, it was a very stylised film. Post that, I did 24 for Anil Kapoor. Both Aamir and Anil are hardworking, knowledgeable and obsessed with cinema.”
Abhinay was supposed to direct Amitabh Bachchan in Aankhen 2, but its shooting has been postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “The film has to be shot in Europe and rather extensively. In the given scenario, it is not possible for Mr Bachchan to travel and do the film now in Europe. Hence it is on the backburner now,” Abhinay explains, adding that the project has not been shelved.
Despite working with Bachchan in several advertisements, it is the filmmaker’s dream to direct the legendary actor in a film. “I have done many ad films with Mr Bachchan. But everyone who is a filmmaker in Bollywood wants to make at least one film for the big screen with him. Part one was such a good film, and we came up with such a good script. I may have to wait for a year at least, but I will,” Abhinay concludes.
