Abhay Deol calls ZNMD ‘demotion’ shameless: ‘Give award to whoever is biggest star but don’t demote me and Farhan’ – bollywood

Abhay Deol has once again opened up about his ‘demotion’ at awards shows during the time of Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. The actor has called the episode ‘shameless’.

In June, Abhay had shared a post on Instagram about the film and how he was unfairly treated during the awards season. The film starred Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar and Abhay as three friends on a road trip through Spain and how they got over their fears and challenges together. However, for awards consideration, Hrithik was presented as lead actor while Farhan and Abhay’s names were given in supporting actors categories.

Speaking to Zoom about his post, Abhay said, “Why should we put Farhan and Abhay in the same category as Hrithik and Katrina? Because they are bigger stars. It doesn’t make sense. The plot of the film is about three friends on a journey and they would so shamelessly go out there and do it. I didn’t say anything at the time, kept quite. I was like forget it, whatever, I just won’t go. Even Zindagi, that was my 10th movie, I had done and said so much already that I felt like I am going to be the only one screaming and will look like bitter or cynical. So forget it,” he said.

Abhay is hopeful that speaking out would make producers more careful in the future. “But this was just shameless, it was shocking, it was just out there and it was so blatant. Like we don’t care what people have to say, we can just do this because we can. And that sort of cavalier, cocky attitude needed to go and now they will be more careful. I am not saying they will necessarily change but they will be careful. Just give the award to one you think is the biggest star but don’t demote me and Farhan,” he said.

In his note on Instagram, Abha had written: “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, released in 2011. Need to chant this title to myself everyday nowadays! Also a great watch when anxious or stressed. I would like to mention that almost 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 wrote.

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Abhay said he boycotted the awards for it but his co-star Farhan was okay with it. “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 okay with it,” he said.

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara was directed by Zoya Akhtar. It won two awards at the 59th National Film Awards for best audiography and best choreography.

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