Farhan Akhtar on Abhay Deol’s claim of being demoted to supporting cast in ZNMD: ‘Have you come here to be a reality star?’

After Abhay Deol expressed his disgruntlement with the fact that he and Farhan Akhtar were demoted to ‘supporting actors’ in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara by awards shows, Farhan said that such validation did not matter to him. Earlier, Abhay had said that Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif were considered to be the ‘actors in a leading role’, while he and Farhan were snubbed.

Farhan, at the India Today e-Conclave, said that he was not in the film industry to be featured on magazine covers or be treated like a ‘reality star’. “You are constantly hearing about some rat race and everybody is fighting each other to some kind of spot which does not exist. I mean the fact is you have to believe in yourself, you have to work sincerely, work hard, how many magazine covers you will do, whether you came on the front page of a magazine, or the front page of a newspaper,” he said.

“If that is your larger interest, I really feel that you are in the wrong profession. You’re not here for that. Have you come here to be an actor, director, singer, music composer, or have you come here to be a reality star? Have you come here to be just, I don’t know, a star?” he added.

Farhan said that seeking external validation might lead to momentary satisfaction but would only cause disappointment eventually.

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Earlier this month, Abhay called out awards shows as well as Bollywood for ‘lobby(ing) against’ certain people. In an Instagram post, he wrote, “I would like to mention that almost all the award functions demoted me and Farhan from main leads, and nominated us as ‘supporting actors’. Hrithik and Katrina were nominated as ‘actors in a leading role’. So by the industry’s own logic, this was a film about a man and a woman falling in love, with the man supported by his friends for whatever decisions he takes.”

“There are many covert and overt ways in which people in the industry lobby against you. In this case it was shamelessly overt. I of course boycotted the awards but Farhan was ok with it,” he added.

Directed by Zoya Akhtar, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara revolves around three childhood friends Arjun (Hrithik), Kabir (Abhay), and Imran (Farhan), who go on a road trip in scenic Spain. During their outing, they come to grips with the past, work out the present and look forward to a future free from their confines.

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