"they will make them look like as a couple."
Abhay Deol has given his opinion on Bollywood’s continuous trend of casting older actors opposite younger actresses.
He weighed in on the matter whilst talking about his upcoming Disney Channel Original Movie Spin.
It tells the story of a US Indian teenager who finds her passion for creating DJ mixes that blend the rich textures of her South Asian culture and the world around her.
In the film, Abhay plays a father to teenager Rhea Kumar (Avantika Vandanapu). Meera Syal will also be in the film.
Spin will premiere on August 13, 2021.
Abhay stated that he has no problems playing a father to a teenage girl, telling BollywoodLife:
“If I had to have qualms about anything then I would have had them 10-12 years ago doing what I was doing in Bollywood.
“I have never really held back, I am quite secure in who I am and where I come from.
“The Netflix show that I am doing spans 20 years, I go from 39 to 59. I can play my age, I can play 10-12 years younger still, so I am just having fun.”
He went on to say that he would like to stick to playing roles of that age range, stating that Bollywood continues to make 50-year-old actors and 20-year-old actresses “look like a couple”.
Abhay Deol continued: “As long as people are convinced that I am that role whether at 35 or 45, I would like to do both.
“You just got to take care of yourself so that you can pass for the ages that you play. I would like to stick to that window.
“Bollywood still will cast actors who are in their 50s opposite girls who are in their 20s and not even make it about an older man and younger girl, they will make them look like as a couple.
“In that environment, what does it matter?”
Previously, Salman Khan was trolled for the age gap between him and Disha Patani following the release of Radhe.
Abhay Deol also elaborated on Bollywood using the same formula for years.
He said: “For sure. 10-12 years ago I was trying to get Bollywood to move away from the formula and I managed to make a few films that I did.
“That was because multiplexes were coming up so for a short span of time there was a brief window where I could churn out films like Manorama, Dev D, and Oye Lucky and have them released.
“Even multiplexes are physical entities, there is only a limited number you can have.”
“Eventually they were taken over by the studios and the mainstream and again, I couldn’t take out films like Manorama, Ek Chalis again.
“Now, OTT platforms have come up, there is more exhibition space. It is different than multiplexes. Digital space is unlimited.
“While the digital platforms do have to cater to mainstream audiences to get the subscribers which is fair enough, they can also afford to cater to the non-traditional audience.
“People who have grown up with internet, they are more clued-in.
“These kids are not buying into Bollywood that easily because they can see how jaded it is having dragged a formula for 70-80 years. It doesn’t speak to them anymore.
“We don’t live in that same world anymore. Bollywood now finds itself catching up with OTT.”
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