Decades ago, thespian Dilip Kumar enacted the role of Devdas. Later, SRK interpreted it his way. Now Abhay Deol is portraying the modern-day Devdas in Dev D. Comparisons with Dilip-saab and SRK are inevitable.

"That's not new for me," Abhay tells me, "Initially, I was compared with my cousins [brothers Sunny and Bobby Deol]. Now it's Dilip-saab and SRK. I remember watching Dilip-saab's Devdas as a kid, but SRK's Devdas is still fresh in my mind. I really don't know where I stand vis-à-vis the comparisons, but when I watch my work in Dev D, it makes me happy... Also, for a change, the media isn't comparing me with my brothers."

The Devdas in DEV D not only hits the bottle, he takes to drugs as well. Will the innumerable fans of this classic digest this fact? "Dev D is the present-day version and in today's times, not just alcohol, people do drugs as well. Look, we haven't strayed from the main plot, except that we've made it contemporary. And if you're talking of current times, you need to update the script to suit the current requirements," Abhay reasons.

This is Abhay's first film with Anurag Kashyap. "We've been friends for a long time. We were keen to work with each other and when he offered this film, I took it up instantaneously. Anurag is someone I truly respect as a film-maker. It was an enriching experience," he says.

Abhay's ready to broaden his horizons. He's turned producer [his company is called Forbidden Films] and his first film is titled Junction. "It's directed by Atul Sabharwal. He's extremely talented. I saw his short film and was floored completely. We're putting the cast in order and hopefully, we should start filming by the end of this year," Abhay reveals.