Bobby Deol on Race 3: I’ve worked really hard to get noticed again

It’s one thing to look at pictures of a beefed-up Bobby Deol and another, to see him in person. Up-close, the actor looks even better, flashing his pearly whites as he sits across us. It’s been a long day of media interactions for him and while he jokes about being unable to speak anymore — ‘My wife, Tania, had called and I told her my voice has gone’ — he’s more than ready to talk about what’s topmost on his mind — Race 3. The movie sees him sharing screen space with Salman Khan for the first time and is being considered as his comeback. Bobby talks about his current state of mind, the directors on his wish list and why he wants to do an action film -

With so much happening in Race 3 — action, songs, dialoguebaazi and above all, Salman — what do you think this movie is going to do for you? 

This is one of the biggest films I’ve got after many years. I’m hoping and praying that the audience loves my work and I get more opportunities to do movies. People want good things to happen in my career, and they can see that I’m working towards it. Till now, all the reactions that I have got have been so genuine that it’s overwhelming. So, I’m keeping my fingers crossed! 

Everyone is talking about your physical transformation. What was Salman’s reaction? 

Salman kept a watch on my workout throughout. He has so much happening in his own life, but he took out the time to do that. He would keep asking my coach about the exercises that I was doing. We had to go to Bigg Boss. He called me in the middle and said, ‘Photo session karte hain, teri photo dikhaoonga’. I said ‘Mamu, it’s just been two months.’ He said, ‘I want to show people how much you have transformed.’ He really inspired me. I see the fire in him. Salman is someone who has achieved so much in life and yet, wants to work every day. My dad is so happy, he said ‘Mujhse nahin hua, ussne (Salman) kar diya.’ My dad and he share a bond. He gives me so much positive energy that I feel the desire to keep improving. 

Ever since the trailer has been out, the film’s dialogues are being spoken about...

Ek toh viral bhi ho gaya hai! (Smiles) Salman is so sweet. When he came to meet my dad after an event and we clicked a picture together, he sent me a message asking if I was going to put it up on social media. I said, if you’re putting it, I’ll just re-post it. He didn’t respond, so I put it up with a heart. He re-posted it and wrote below it, ‘Our Dharamji is our Dharamji! Chalo in this special case your Dharamji too’ (sic)’ He’s got a great sense of humour. All these things are increasing the film’s popularity. Race 3 is being mentioned everywhere. Ek naya term nikla hai, memes. So for movies, any kind of news is good news. 

Your next two films, Yamla Pagla Deewana: Phir Se and Housefull 4, are comedies. Would you like to explore other genres after that? 

Having done action after so many years with Race 3, I want to do a nice, action film again. 

And now you have the body for it as well...

Salman was saying the other day, ‘Tune ek baar shirt utaar di na mamu, ab tujhe har film mein shirt utarni padegi.’ I said, ‘Haan mamu, phas gaya!’ (Laughs) But one has to look after one’s health and now, I have started enjoying it. I can’t miss a single day of working out. You just have to motivate yourself. It had disappeared from my life for some time. But now, I have rediscovered my inner strength. 

It seems you’re enjoying this new phase of your life...

Definitely! People have always loved me. Not a single person in the industry has anything bad to say about me and I’m grateful for that. It’s just that I lost my way. I didn’t see that I was losing out on so much work. Those days, I never thought of anyone as competition. I never felt I was bigger than them, but I didn’t realise that there are people around who could take your work away from you. I never took their work away, so why would they take away mine? But we live in a cut-throat world. What I can say now is, I have worked really hard to get noticed again. And thanks to Salman, people are noticing me even more. I’m not being lazy and thinking that ab toh usne film de di, ab sab theek ho jayega. I have to keep working hard. Everyone around is giving me such genuine opinions. It’s definitely one of the best phases of my life. There was a point when I thought the audience didn’t want to see me on screen. But it’s not like that. It’s just that I had made myself incapable. 

Salman wants you to do a solo film now. Do you think you’re ready for that? 

I don’t know. It’s all about how marketable you are as an actor. I don’t have the mindset that I should do only solo films. I have been here for 23 years. Now, I want to do movies in which the characters are interesting. 

You mentioned in an interview that today, you have no problems approaching directors for work. Are there any filmmakers on your wish list?

That’s what I did for the last three years. I had approached Sajid Nadiadwala a year-and-a-half ago and that’s how Housefull 4 happened. He saw that I meant what I said. 

Somebody who you haven’t worked with till now and whose work you really admire?

Rajkumar Hirani. He makes such amazing films; I love all his movies. Among the people I have worked with, I wish Abbas bhai-Mustan bhai write a script for me again. I just want to work with whoever believes in me. But I will still go and knock on their door and tell them to believe in me because that’s the only way it works.