Want to play roles that are out of my comfort zone, says Bobby Deol

MUMBAI: Bollywood actor Bobby Deol says he doesn’t distinguish his characters as negative or positive and wants to explore roles that challenge him.

"I want to do work that is out of my comfort zone, challenging me, and pushes me to bring out the best in me. I hope I keep getting work like that,” Deol told reporters here at the press conference of 22nd Zee Cine Awards 2024.

"There’s nothing like negative or positive characters. Earlier there used to be a certain category like comedians, villains, and heroes...It’s not like that anymore. Cinema has changed, storytelling has changed, because the world is evolving, and there are so many interesting characters out there,” The actor said playing the antagonist in "Animal" was challenging. The Sandeep Reddy Vanga-directed film, which featured Ranbir Kapoor in the lead, received polarized reviews but was a blockbuster hit and Deol was praised for his performance and the song 'Jamal Jamalkudu'. “For me, playing a negative role was a challenge but every human being has a bad thing in them, only when you suppress the bad, we become a better person. So, it gives you the opportunity to let that bad out, and perform and enjoy those negative characters.

"If you look at my character of Abrar from ‘Animal’, he had a very strong reason why he was like that. When I played Abrar, I didn’t think of myself as villain, I felt as the hero of my family.” Deol, who has been nominated in the best villain category for his performance in “Animal”, at Zee Cine Awards 2024, said awards are a form of appreciation for one’s hard work.

"Just to be nominated makes it special. It gives me more happiness because my fans get so happy about me winning an award, he said, expressing gratitude to his fans for their unending love and support.

“I hope I can keep doing work that’s different, challenging, and keep entertaining my fans. I've been here in this industry for 28 years and they have always been supporting my dad, brother and me. Whatever I’m today is because of the love and belief that they had in me. It motivates me to work harder,” he added.

The actor will also perform at the award show.

“I’ve done it earlier (danced on stage). It’s going to be exciting. I always find being on stage challenging more challenging than playing characters. It’s going to be fun and I’m sure people will enjoy it. Last year was Deol’s year so it (performance) is dedicated to them,” he said.

Actors Shah Rukh Khan, Alia Bhatt, Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Ananya Panday, Bobby Deol, Ayushmann Khurrana, Mouni Roy, Utkarsh Sharma, and Simrat Kaur among others are also among the performers at Zee Cine Awards 2024.

The awards ceremony will be hosted by Ayushmann Khurrana and Aparshakti Khurana, and Sunil Grover, who will take over for a few fun segments.