Actor Abhay Deol feels a lot depends on his upcoming “Happy Bhag Jayegi” because if it doesn’t do well, people will ask him to pack his bags. Abhay made his debut in 2005 with “Socha Na Tha” and gained praise for performance in subsequent “Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!” and “Dev D”. But his 2014 release “One By Two” did not do well at the box office.
When asked if “Happy Bhag Jayegi” is an important film of his career, the actor told reporters, “I guess, because there has been a long gap, some people are also saying this is going to be my comeback, in that regard it is extremely important. “Because if people are saying it is a ‘comeback’ and even then it doesn’t work, people will say ‘go back’. So maybe it is a lot heavier than before,” he added.
Directed by Mudassar Aziz, “Happy Bhag Jayegi” is a romantic comedy which also stars Diana Penty, Ali Fazal and Jimmy Shergill. The movie is produced by Aanand L Rai and Krishika Lulla. The 40-year-old “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara” star said this time one advantage he has is that he is working with a big production house unlike his many previous films.
“One advantage is that at least a production house, a studio is backing me which were missing from my earlier films. The films were always independent,” he said.
The actor, who has featured in several off-beat films like “Ek Chalis Ki Last Local”, “Manorama Six Feet Under” and “Road, Movie”, says the obsession with box office earnings as the benchmark for movies is rather sad.
“The media is focusing on ‘100 crore’ and not on films which are breaking the mould, breaking a formula. What if it didn’t make money, at least they made the film. Only when it reaches Rs 100-cr, it is being talked about,” he said.
“Why is it that money has become the benchmark and not creativity. It is not uncommon to make a 100-cr film with the right stars behind it but it is very rare to make a film which breaks the mould,” Abhay added.
