Born into the illustrious Deol family, Abhay Deol, nephew of Dharmendra and cousin to Sunny and Bobby Deol, grew up in an environment where fame was ever-present. However, his family made a conscious effort to keep him and his cousins away from the dazzling world of Bollywood. In a recent interview, Abhay reflected on his upbringing, revealing that despite their family’s stature, they were raised in a relatively normal environment, free from the influence of the film industry.
Abhay Deol shared, “They tried to keep us away from the glamour and the limelight. They tried to give us a normal upbringing that they could possibly give. I grew up in a joint family with Sunny and Bobby Deol. Our parents tried to keep us away from the industry because they thought that ‘one day you might join the industry or not, but right now you are kids so we want you to have a normal childhood.’” Living in a large household with his two sisters and four cousins, Abhay had the warmth of a joint family, even though his cousins maintained a certain distance from him.
Being the youngest among them, he recalled how his older cousins had a mixed approach towards him. “I was the youngest. So they babied me but they didn’t want me around because I was annoying. They were much closer to each other than I am because I grew up not really around them much, but they were around each other a lot. My sisters are still very close to Sunny and Bobby.”
His school life was another experience altogether, where he faced both admiration and resentment. “School was a mix bag. Some were glamour struck and gave you extra attention or there were some who would judge you for being famous and resented you for it as well.”
Despite belonging to a star-studded family, Abhay’s childhood was carefully curated to provide a grounded upbringing, keeping him away from the limelight until he was ready to step into the industry on his own terms.
