Refreshed and raring to go

Bobby Deol was a sensation in the 90s. With his undeniable charisma, he won many hearts. Who can forget his hit films like Gupt and Soldier? But in the 2000s, Deol Jr slowly faded away from the limelight. After years, he’s finally made a comeback with the Salman Khan-starrer Race 3. And now, the Deol star power will be witnessed once again in Yamla Pagla Deewana Phir Se.

During the promotions of YPD-3, Bobby Deol took a walk down memory lane and opened up about his career trajectory. By 2005, Bobby, whose charm was waning, took on films like Barsaat and Dosti: Friends Forever. “By the time I started working with director Sunil Darshan, I could see the beginning of my downfall. Please do not presume that Sunil made bad films. I am responsible for my downfall,” he revealed.

But there’s always a silver lining. Bobby, who had some meaningful takeaways from the unsuccessful period, says, “Right from my first stint in Bollywood, I was aware of one fact — it was not enough for me to be the brother of Sunny Deol and the son of Dharmendra. I knew full well that I would have to prove myself. I had to work hard and prove my acting calibre in every film. But things went wrong when I withdrew my focus from my work. All good scripts had stopped coming to me as people had noticed I wasn’t focussed enough on work. Ultimately, getting no offers obviously resulted in my downfall.”

Bobby also feels he has chosen the wrong scripts in the past. “Those days, I was choosing weird scripts. I would feel angry about that too. I had also started drinking day and night. I had literally turned into a drunkard. I understand these are my mistakes but I have learned from these mistakes. Now, I am focussed and trying my level best to get ahead in my professional life,” he says.

The love and respect he gets from his parents, as well as the audience, are motivating him to work harder. “Having been unsuccessful, I am trying to move ahead. I have not done anyone wrong. I will not hide my wrongdoings either. This I have learned from my dad. I have turned into a wiser human being now,” he says.