Abhay Deol in a still from Manorama Six Feet Under (courtesy abhaydeol)

New Delhi:

Remember Abhay Deol’s crime thriller Manorama Six Feet Under from 2007? Abhay Deol has a story to share. On Saturday, the 44-year-old actor wrote about his penchant for starring in unconventional films, right from the beginning of his career, citing Manorama Six Feet Under as one of them. Back in September 2007, Manorama Six Feet Under was termed as a neo-noir film and released to much critical acclaim, which however, did not reflect in the film’s performance at the box office. In his post, Abhay Deol wrote about the one frequent reaction to his film that he’s “tired of hearing” after all these years: My film Manorama Six Feet Under released in 2007. They say it was ahead of its time for India. I say that I got tired of hearing, ‘I saw it on DVD, I loved it, when was this film even released!?’ If I had a rupee for every time someone said that I’d be a multi millionaire!”

Abhay Deol, who is known for starring in out-of-the-ordinary films such as Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, Dev.D, Ek Chalis Ki Last Local and Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd., wrote about his mantra behind zeroing in on one out-of-the-box film at a time: “At the start of this century no one in power had the faith that experimentation would work with an Indian audience. Hence even if one managed to, the film would barely have any screens or marketing. I always believed that the audience is way smarter than we give them credit for. Had I not believed that, I wouldn’t have made the films I’ve made.”

Abhay Deol co-starred with actresses Gul Panag and Raima Sen in Manorama Six Feet Under, which marked filmmaker Navdeep Singh’s debut as a director. Read Abhay Deol’s post here. He added the hashtag: “#makingwhatbollywouldnt” to his post.

Abhay Deol recently trended a great deal for his posts, criticising “woke Indian celebs” for their reluctance to comment on pressing issues such as injustice and oppression at home.

Maybe it’s time for these now? Now that “woke” indian celebrities and the middle class stand in solidarity with fighting systemic racism in America, perhaps they’d see how it manifests in their own backyard? America has exported violence to the world, they have made it a more dangerous place, it was but inevitable that it would come back karmically. I’m not saying they deserve it, I’m saying look at the picture in it’s totality. I’m saying support them by calling out the systemic problems in your own country, because they turn out to be one and the same thing. I’m saying follow their lead but not their actions. Create your own actions, your own movement, relevant to your own country. That is what the black lives matter movement is all about! In the larger picture, there is no “us” and “them”. There is not a country that’s real. But a planet in peril. #blacklivesmatter. In addendum : What I mean when I say the US “exported violence”, and “made the world a more dangerous place” is in reference to their continued development of dangerous weapons, which are then exported to countries around the world as a solution to their problems. Even their own people do not support endless wars. And I’m not letting the other players in the war theater off either, that’s why I have said a “more dangerous” place. That mentality has led them to militarize their own police, and that’s where the “karma” comes. Karma means action, and their action of always fighting fire with fire has lead to a mentality which they then repeat on home ground. How many more decades must pass before we see the need for a different approach? A dialogue is what is needed, communication, not intimidation, whether on home soil or another country! An eye for an eye will make the world go blind and ironically it is only the US who is in the best position to lead us towards peace.

A post shared by Abhay Deol (@abhaydeol) on Jun 2, 2020 at 8:24pm PDT

Abhay Deol, who continued to strongly advocate against fairness creams, wrote in another post: “Do you think Indian celebrities will stop endorsing fairness creams now?”

Overall analysis Fairness creams in India have evolved over the years, from being fairness creams to now using euphemisms like “skin brightening/ whitening”, or “lightening creams”. Most brands no longer want to be associated directly with being termed as ‘fairness creams’. So now we have brands selling “HD glow”, “White beauty”, “white glow”, “fine fairness”, and so on. Over the years these companies have turned their attention towards the Indian Men, who are now trying to be “fair and handsome”, and have dedicated power white ranges for them too. The hunt for fairness: Neutrogena fine fairness: Could not locate it on their global websites but it is available on Amazon and other sellers:https://www.amazon.in/Neutrogena-Fine-Fairness-Cream-SPF20/dp/B00BSPOXMW/ Ponds have a white beauty range: The range includes products like anti-spot fairness cream which is available on affiliate websites like Amazon and Nykaa. On their own website could locate just the White beauty cream. https://www.ponds.com/ph/products/collection/white-beauty/day-cream-for-normal-skin.html* Loreal white perfect day cream: Apparently reduces the melanin level in the skin, gives a rosy appearance to your skin and is suitable for all Indian skin types. “reduce skin darkening and boost anti-spot whitening for a brighter & younger look”https://www.lorealparis.co.in/products/skin-care/day-cream/white-perfect-clinical-day-cream/ Recently, Procter & Gamble skincare brand Olay announced that it will no longer retouch skin in its advertising by 2021 because it reflects an idea of beauty which is almost impossible to achieve. The statement was made during an event in New York. In March 2019, Olay also came up with a creative campaign #FaceAnything with @masabagupta @kubbrasait , @lilly, @bikewithgirl and @_payalsoni_ #Fairandlovely #prejudice #racism #fairskinobsession #fairnesscreams #kalagora #flawlessskin #hdglow #whiteness #complexion #skintone #shades #pearlextracts #microcrystals #ayurveda

A post shared by Abhay Deol (@abhaydeol) on Jun 5, 2020 at 4:39am PDT

has also starred in commercial hits such as Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and Aisha. He was last seen in What Are The Odds?, which released on Netflix in March.