Abhay Deol comes from a family of film stars. From his uncle Dharmendra to his cousins Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol, each one of them has made a mark in the industry. In an interview with Humans of Bombay, the actor spoke about having a tough childhood and recalled how a teacher used to insult him because he came from a privileged background.
(Also Read: Abhay Deol, asked if he got due recognition from film industry, says ‘stars have a PR machinery behind them’)
Abhay Deol on his childhood
Abhay reflected on his upbringing, describing it as typical of an Indian joint family in some ways. He acknowledged that his family’s fame created a disconnect from the reality of an average Indian household. He explained that certain experiences he encountered were unique to being part of a famous family—experiences that someone from a non-famous background would never go through.
When asked about those experiences, Abhay recalled, “When you come from a film family, a lot of it is written about. Many times in school, you’d be asked personal questions like, ‘We read this, we heard that, is it true?’ There were teachers who would be extra nice to me because they were fans of my family, but then there were teachers who would be extra nasty because they judged my family. I never knew what to expect—either some were overly favourable, or they were extremely harsh because they saw me as privileged and undeserving of that privilege.”
When a teacher humiliated Abhay
Citing an example of a tuition teacher who humiliated him because she disliked his family, the actor said, “There was one teacher who would really insult me in class because she didn’t like my family. She would publicly humiliate me, passing comments about my family, and if something was in the news, she would say it loudly in class, like, ‘You people do this.’ As a kid, you get shocked and internalise these things because you can’t speak out. As an adult, I feel she was a very troubled person to insult a child and his family in front of the class. It wasn’t even in a regular class—it was in tuition. My friends kept quiet because of how harshly she spoke about my family.”
Abhay Deol’s upcoming work
Abhay will next be seen in the film Bun Tikki. Directed by Faraz Arif Ansari, the film also stars Shabana Azmi, Zeenat Aman, and Anjali Anand in key roles. Bun Tikki is produced by Jyoti Deshpande, Dinesh Malhotra, and Marijke Desouza under the banner of Manish Malhotra’s Stage 5 Productions.
