Each of his films, failures or successes, has managed to leave a stamp, a distinctive Abhay Deol stamp. But just when we were warming up to his brand of cinema, he is shifting base to New York.
"There is better infrastructure, a better drainage system," he says, with a laugh. "I love live music and jazz and there's a lot of it there. But the best thing I like is it's a lot like Mumbai."
But there is another reason. "As a celebrity I crave attention, but there are days when I just want to disappear into the background and do my own thing," says Deol. "When people know you, you tend to hold yourself back and conduct yourself in a certain manner. In New York, I can be irresponsible, crazy, and have fun."
New York is also where he can date freely. "Now, I have a life. I am going out and meeting girls. The past couple of years there was too much work, but now I am actually meeting interesting girls. I met this one cute girl who is a painter and we met twice. But for that to become serious, I need to be in one place for long."
According to Deol, "My last relationship was so great that I guess I keep looking for something that could be better than that. We were really good together. Today, we are friends," he says, with a resigned smile.
Does he enjoy this new-found status of the thinking woman's sex symbol? "I don't see myself as a sex symbol at all," he says, blushing. "It's not something I imagined would happen. It's kind of funny but hey, I am not complaining."
Tell him that his grandchildren will inherit great stories and he says candidly, "I don't see myself having kids. I think marriage is so outdated. It is not a natural phenomenon. It is just to tell everyone around that you are committed."
