“He went in public and said a lot of lies about me."
Abhay Deol has reacted to Anurag Kashyap’s claims regarding his behaviour on the set of their film Dev D.
Although the 2009 film was successful, they never worked together again.
In a 2020 interview, Anurag said working with Abhay was “painfully difficult”.
The filmmaker said Abhay wanted to do artistic films but also wanted the “mainstream benefits” and the “luxuries of being a Deol”.
Anurag also claimed that Abhay would “stay in a five-star hotel while the entire crew stayed in Paharganj” in Delhi as the film “was made on a very tight budget”, adding that this was a reason why “a lot of his directors went away” from Abhay.
Abhay Deol has responded to the claims, accusing the director of spreading “a lot of lies”.
The actor said: “He went in public and said a lot of lies about me.
“So, one lie I’ll give you for example, that I demanded a hotel room.
“He actually came up to me and said, ‘Listen, you can’t stay with us, you are a Deol so I’m going to put you up in a hotel room’.
“He literally told me that, I am saying this on camera. And what he told the press was, I demanded it.”
Abhay went on to say that “there was clearly a lot going on which was not professional”.
He continued: “I was very easily manipulated at that time. So now, when I look back I’m like, ‘Good one, I see you’.”
The actor claimed that after Anurag Kashyap’s interview, the director sent him apologetic messages.
“He (Anurag) does that all the time. He was like, ‘You want to shout at me, scream at me…’ And I was like, ‘I don’t care. It’s been 12 years. You don’t feature in my thoughts even now; get over it’.
“He said, ‘Forgive me because I have had a bad day’. I said you are forgiven. I never had a personal agenda. It was far bigger than just me. That is how I feel about everything. How much of this is he going to do?
“And I would have never taken his name and said the things, had he not gone public either.”
Abhay said this was a “good lesson” for him.
“I had my heart on my sleeve, and all that is great – but you get taken advantage of, and then you get reactive.”
“So, he (Anurag Kashyap) was a good lesson for me. Then I just avoided him, because I don’t need toxic people in my life.
“Life is too short, and there is so much more to explore.
“But he (Anurag) is definitely a liar and a toxic person. And I would warn people about him.”
Abhay added that he has not seen an Anurag Kashyap film since Dev D.
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