Abhay Deol has opened up about playing the role of a father to a 16-year-old teenage girl, Avantika Vandanapu in Disney’s original film, Spin. Directed by Manjari Makijany, the movie is based on the story of an Indian American teen - Rhea Kumar (Avantika Vandanapu) who discovers her passion for creating DJ mixes. In a recent interview, Abhay said that he was happy to be cast in an "age-appropriate" role and that it was nice to receive compliments that he does not look like a dad.
While speaking with Etimes, Abhay revealed that this wasn’t his first time essaying the character of a father. He had played a similar role in 'Manorama Six Feet Under', which was his fifth film. He added that he and Avantika would have been cast opposite each other if it was a Bollywood film.
“I had never played a dad to a teenager before this. Avantika's great and easy to work with. If we were in Bollywood, we'd be opposite each other. They'd age her by 10 years, they'd age me down by 10. So it was nice to play an age-appropriate character and be the dad of a teenager. It was nice to have people saying,' You don't look like a dad'. I mean technically I can be Avantika's dad. So, it was nice to be told,' You don't look like it', and it was nice to play it then and actually I was fine, especially because of my white hair,” the 45-year-old actor was quoted as saying.
On a related note, Disney's movie Spin, an English-language teen drama, also stars Meera Syal, Aryan Simhadri and Michael Bishop in key roles.
Earlier, in an Instagram post, Abhay Deol said his fans expect him to be a part of "edgy, alternative narratives that challenge the status quo’ but Spin was a departure from his own status quo.
“It is a gem of a movie that will leave you smiling and feeling good. Blessed to be a part of it!” he added.
Image Source: Instagram/ abhaydeol/