Have you ever seen me at an awards function? asks Abhay Deol

Actor Abhay Deol has always been outspoken, to the extent of falling into trouble, but the actor has stuck to his word. Abhay, who has always been very vocal about his dislike for award functions, was recently in Singapore to attend his film, Shanghai’s premiere prior to the event, with girlfriend, actor Preeti Desai.

Ask him about the response to the film and he says, “I haven’t met anyone who has not liked the film. I was hoping the film does well, but you know how unpredictable these things are. I guess the fact that the film speaks the truth is one of the biggest reasons that it has worked. I had confidence it would do well, and one of the biggest compliments is that all the characters in the film stand out.”

Abhay walking with Preeti on the red carpet at the event created quite a buzz there. “Preeti loved the film. She loves Dibakar (filmmaker Dibakar Banerjee) and his kind of films. Also, she is someone who will be upfront about a film and my performance. She is an honest critic, she won’t say something nice to me if she does not really like it,” he confesses.

Not just from his girlfriend, the actor is open to criticism from everyone, as long as it is constructive. “It is always nice to be appreciated, but I am open to criticism as well. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. I criticise and so does everyone. I never get offended with criticism unless it is done to put someone down. If there is a valid reason, I have no issues. How else do you expect me to grow?” he asks.

After his film’s premiere, the actor took a flight straight back to India to be on the sets of Prakash Jha’s Chakravyuh. Ask him why he didn’t attend the awards event and he shoots back, “Have you ever seen me at any of these awards functions?” Films and premiere aside, the Deol household is also busy preparing for actor Esha Deol’s impending wedding.

Prod him about that and he confesses that he has no idea about what’s happening at home on the preparation front. “I really have no clue. I haven’t been home for four months and I am sure like any other normal household they are all preparing for it. Besides all that, it is too early to decide what I would be wearing and the works.”