I wish I get very busy with work this year: Bobby Deol

Bobby Deol has turned over a new leaf. He insists his reclusiveness is a thing of the past. The actor, who turned 48 yesterday, now sports a new lean and mean avatar. He spoke to us  about turning producer with Poster Boys with his older brother Sunny.

You turned 48 yesterday, but many thought it was your 50th birthday...

I turned 48, yes, not 50 (laughs). I have never hidden my age because it has never bothered me. Why make myself younger? My mother wanted to name me after astronaut Neil Armstrong who had just landed when I was born, but my aunt named me Vijay Singh Deol. I celebrated my birthday at our farmhouse in Lonavla. There was a huge family get-together with some of my closest friends and their families. When I was younger, I wanted to celebrate my birthday on January 26 (laughs), as it was a holiday in India. I cut two-three cakes which my friends got.

Aren’t you on a diet?

No. I can’t diet and starve myself. I have just been taking care of myself, working out, and eating the right kind of food. When I didn’t, I had fallen ill and didn’t look so great. But now I am changing my way of looking at things. Everything slowed down in my life for the last couple of years. I didn’t realise time was passing me by. I am a little old-fashioned, but times have changed now and I am just trying to move with it. I feel there is so much in me to give.

Why were you so elusive?

I am going to change all that now. In between, people started carrying false news about me and maligning me.

On the Internet, I would read that I was lazy and people stopped approaching me for their films. I just could not understand any of this. I have never cancelled my shooting, and none of my films got delayed. I have always been professional. I just got disheartened after reading all that negative stuff. People started believing in it and that I was really like this. I want to change their outlook. I am now meeting people and telling them I want to do good characters. Nice and meaty roles in all genres.

You have turned producer, independent of your family banner. Comment.

Yes, Sohail (Maklai) and I are working towards something. It’s tentatively called Changez, but the script keeps changing. Sohail and I are working together after a long time. The film is a little dark for me to produce right now, but I would love to produce family entertainers and I am working on it.

Why aren’t you on social media?

People keep asking me where have I disappeared and I realise how much my fans love me. I am trying really hard to be there. I am a bit wary about social media, especially Twitter. There are many Bobbys on it and most write rubbish impersonating me. I want people to know that I am not one of those. Only if my name comes with the blue tick, it’s me. They use my name for wrong things. I think I will enjoy that as I am always taking photos. I need to be on social media as that’s the only way to be with the new generation. So, I have started with Instagram. But I can’t wish people or pass comments on issues. I can’t be fake. That’s just how I am.

Any birthday wish?

I hope this year I get very busy with work. That’s all I am looking forward to. I think I still have many years left in me. When you go through a low phase, you either get destructive or fight all that negativity with positivity. I spent time with my two sons — Aryaman who’s turned 15 and Dharam who is 12. It’s only with time that you realise how they have grown up. I used this time to work on myself and trying to figure out why work had slowed down. While I have not signed anything except Poster Boys, I won’t give up.

What’s with the new look?

It’s my look for my character in Poster Boys with Sunny bhaiyya.  I play a small-town school teacher who is totally henpecked by his wife. In real life that’s not the case (laughs). It’s a cute, funny entertainer with a little message and emotions in it. It’s about three men whose lives turn upside down when their pics come on a poster by mistake. It has been great working with bhaiyya as we both know each other inside out. As my elder brother, he gives me suggestions and amazing advice.  It was my director Shreyas’s (Talpade) birthday too, but he couldn’t join us in Lonavla as he was busy editing.