Abhay Deol, asked if he got due recognition from film industry, says 'stars have a PR machinery behind them'

Actor Abhay Deol, who used to a poster child for parallel cinema in Bollywood, has said that he cannot complain about lack of recognition, especially since people still come up to him and appreciate his work. 

In an interview, Abhay, who belongs to the Deol family of actors, was asked if he has received the sort of recognition that he feels he deserves from the industry. 

He told a leading daily, “People want to interview me, I get interviewed. People recognise me, they tell me they love my work. I don't feel the lack of recognition at all. If there is any lack of, it's the lack of investing in a PR machinery to keep me in the news all the time, and project a star image, which I was never interested in. So I do lack that star image, which I myself have to feed. Because all the stars have a PR machinery behind them that feeds into that narrative. I don't have that, and that's by choice.”

He added, “But I cannot sit here and say that I am not recognised… People love my work and they tell me that all the time. It's sad that in India particularly, more so than in America, you just have to constantly feed the beast and stay in the news. We've created a system where, unless I see you see you every other day endorsing 10 brands, you're not recognised. What happened to just the fact that people love you and say that they do, and that journalists want to speak to you and papers are interested in what you have to say?”

Also read: Abhay Deol calls out Bollywood’s lobby culture, award functions: I’m sorry it took someone’s death to wake everybody up

Abhay also said that he is still in a position to chose his roles and doesn't have to take whatever offers come his way, 'so if that's not success I don't know what is.'