Abhay Deol reveals Anurag Kashyap didn't direct him at all in 'Dev.D'; 'He just let me be'

Abhay Deol, after responding to Anurag Kashyap's accusations about his conduct on the set of 'Dev D' (2009) and calling the director a "toxic" and "lying" person, spoke again about working with him. In a recent conversation with Anupam Kher at his acting school, when asked about working with directors who don't know how to handle actors, Abhay remembered his experience on 'Dev D' and stated that Anurag "didn't direct him at all".

Recently, while promoting his Netflix series 'Trial By Fire', Abhay Deol spoke out against Anurag's false statements in the press, according to a report by Hindustan Times. He rejected Anurag Kashyap's previous claim that he requested to stay in a 5-star hotel during the shooting of 'Dev D'. 

In response to Abhay's statement calling him a "liar" and "toxic," Anurag said in an interview that he is ready to apologize again and that everyone has their own truth.

'Anurag didn't direct me at all'

During a conversation with Anupam Kher, when asked about directors who don't know how to handle actors, Abhay shared that it doesn't happen often but it does happen. He referred to his experience on 'Dev D', where Anurag didn't direct him at all and just let him be. 

Abhay explained that since he already had an idea for his character and didn't need direction, Anurag's lack of input as a director encouraged him to think he was doing the right thing.

In a 2020 interview, Anurag described working with Abhay on 'Dev D' as "painfully difficult." He claimed that Abhay wanted to do art films but also sought the benefits of being a mainstream actor and the luxuries of being related to actors Sunny and Bobby Deol. 

Anurag also stated that during filming in Delhi, Abhay stayed in a 5-star hotel while the crew stayed in Paharganj due to the film's tight budget.