Bobby Deol, who played the anti-hero protagonist Baba Nirala in the MX Player series Aashram, is overwhelmed with the response to the show. He took to Twitter to thank fans and the audience for giving his character so much love.
“#Aashram presented me with an opportunity to explore the unexplored ... never thought that such a negative role will get me such positive response .. i thank you all for the love and appreciation. Japnaam. #Gratitude,” he wrote.
Directed by Prakash Jha, Aashram was followed by a second season titled Aashram Chapter 2: The Dark Side. The show also starred Aaditi Pohankar, Chandan Roy Sanyal, Darshan Kumaar and Anupria Goenka. According to the director, it garnered over 400 million views.
Aashram was not well-received by critics. The Hindustan Times review of the second season read, “Prakash Jha thinks you’re stupid. The sheer contempt that his debut web series, Aashram, has for its viewers can only be rivalled by the condescension with which its anti-hero protagonist Baba Nirala treats his ‘bhakts’. It’s fitting that a show about an abusive, arrogant and obnoxious man be just as patronising to the people that watch it.”
Bobby, who completed 25 years in films this year, talked about the evolution of the industry in a recent interview with Hindustan Times. “With time, it has become so much faster, there’s so much competition, so much social media influence,” he said.
“The pace was slower. Stardom had a different flavour to it. In those days, if you got a glimpse of an actor, that was the most amazing moment of your day and life. That was the excitement of being a star. Now, being a star is that you’ve to speak about yourself all the time, you have to make yourself seen. The new generation has evolved. You have to move with the times,” he added.