Cinema has changed: Bobby Deol

Mumbai: Bollywood actor Bobby Deol doesn’t distinguish his characters as negative or positive and wants to explore roles that challenge him.

“I want to do work that is out of my comfort zone, challenging me and pushing me to bring out the best in me. I hope I keep getting work like that,” Deol told reporters at the press conference of the 22nd Zee Cine Awards 2024.

He added, “There’s nothing like negative or positive characters. Earlier, there used to be a certain category like comedians, villains and heroes. It’s not like that anymore. Cinema and storytelling have changed because the world is evolving and there are so many interesting characters out there.”

The actor said that playing the antagonist in ‘Animal’ was challenging.

“For me, playing a negative role was a challenge, but every human being has a bad thing in them. Only when you suppress the bad can we become better people. So, it gives you the opportunity to let that bad out and perform and enjoy those negative characters. If you look at my character of Abrar from ‘Animal’, he had a very strong reason why he was like that. When I played Abrar, I didn’t think of myself as a villain, I felt like the hero of my family,” he shared.

Deol, who has been nominated in the ‘Best Villain’ category for his performance in ‘Animal’ at the Zee Cine Awards 2024, said that awards are a form of appreciation for one’s hard work.

“Just to be nominated makes it special. It gives me more happiness because my fans get so happy about me winning an award,” he said, expressing gratitude to his fans for their unending love and support.

He added, “I hope I can keep doing work that’s different and challenging and keep entertaining my fans. I’ve been here in this industry for 28 years and they have always supported my dad, brother and me. Whatever I am today is because of the love and belief that they had in me. It motivates me to work harder.”

The actor will also perform at the award show.