When I catch up with Bobby Deol he happily agrees that Animal and Ashram are game-changers in his career. “Ashram made people realise that I can play different characters. I think it was the most-watched show to date. It was, as my brother Sunny said, the Gadar of the OTT platform. But the magic of the silver screen is something you cannot beat, and I think Animal changed my life completely. It’s always your work that speaks for you. I think that’s how it started with Class of 83, Ashram, Love Hostel, and then Animal.”
The astonishing success of the series Ashram doesn’t astonish Bobby so much after three seasons. “I think it’s such a subject that it connects with all the masses and everybody, every society, you know. That’s why it’s worked so well and also the biggest reason is because Prakashji (Jha)as a filmmaker, as a maker, knows exactly how to write according to the pulse of the audiences and that’s why it’s worked. I think it’s Prakashji’s writing and the way he has scripted it and created the characters that has made this work and also because of that, the casting also made a lot of difference. I think the actors chosen for the characters did such a fantastic job that people really did with them and these are the reasons why it is so loved. I was at first shocked that I was being offered a role like this. I never thought that I would be offered such a challenging part. I was trying to do things out of my comfort zone but was never getting anything away from my personality or the work I’ve done in my past. And when I was offered Ashram, I thought I had heard something wrongly. I thought I was being offered another part. But Prakashji was offering the Baba’s character. Once I finally figured, I came to terms, I mean I realized that he wants me to play the Baba so I was really excited.”
Bobby divulges he had no trepidations about playing the morally depraved godman in Ashram. “I think the greatest joy an actor can get is when people start believing that he is that character. So when I was performing, I am so happy that people saw Baba Nirala. I’m an actor, we play different characters but we never take them back home with us. It was difficult in the beginning but eventually when I used to come back from work, sit with the same people who I’d worked in the day with and had treated them in a way according to my character does for the real life. But when I was sitting with them, it was real life and it was all normal, so I would be fine.”
Finally, Bobby answers the question everyone wants to ask: is a sequel to Animal happening? “I’m sure the way it has been loved and watched by the audiences, I’m sure they are planning and hope they are. Even when I first saw the film, I realized there’s an animal park going to be made. Didn’t know about it till I saw it myself with the audience. And I’m sure Sandeep is planning something but I have no knowledge of anything. What the script is, who’s the cast, obviously the heat is definitely on it(for a sequel), so I don’t know about the remaining cast.”
