"We Are All They/Them": Abhay Deol On Sexuality And Masculinity (Image-Instagram/abhaydeol)
Bollywood actor Abhay Deol has made headlines for his controversial statement on sexuality. Speaking on sexuality, the actor put his opinion as “it’s not something that I think can be defined.”
Abhay, who has played a wide range of characters including iconic roles in films like Dev D and Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, is known to defy stereotypes and deviate from the norm. Recently in his interview with Dirty Magazine, the actor expressed his views on sexuality, when discussing his comeback film Bun Tikki by a non-binary, openly queer director, Faraz Arif Ansari.
Read Also: ‘Love, Lies And Survival’: Phir Aayi Hasseen Dillruba To Hit Netflix On This Date
Abhay said, “As a spectrum I refuse the Western way of identifying sexuality because it’s so black and white. The Eastern approach is so different, it recognizes the whole of us. I don’t define my sexuality, and this might sound controversial but for me, it’s not something that I think can be defined.”
He added that in his opinion, “We are all they/them.”
Elaborating, the Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara actor said, “I think it’s more for the other person’s comfort so that they can put you in a box, neatly slot you. Why should I define myself in Western terms? I have embraced all experiences in my life and I continue to do so. I don’t know how to label that, I don’t want to label that. All of us have a masculine and feminine within us, so in my opinion, we are all they/them.”
Read Also: Roast Comedy And Boundaries: Why Kusha Kapila Says She Feels ‘Dehumanised’
Abhay spoke about how he sees masculinity as “the ability to make people feel safe and included.” As a man, he said, he feels like a “protector and provider.” Having said that, the actor admitted that he would “happily give up his sense of taking charge and leading to a woman too if she wanted to take charge and lead.”
The actor also revealed that he was not ‘hiding,’ but he spends most of his time at his Goa home. He added that over the last nine years, he has also been spending a lot of time in Los Angeles, which is good because he is anonymous there.
Abhay will soon be seen with Shabana Azmi, Zeenat Aman, and Lin Laishram in Bun Tikki.
