Mumbai: Model-turned-actor Muzammil Ibrahim, who claims to be Deepika Padukone’s ex-boyfriend, called out nepotism and alleged that Bollywood A-listers see him as a threat.
Muzammil, who made his Bollywood debut with the 2007 film ‘Dhokha’, believes that he deserved the Best Debutant award, not Ranbir Kapoor for ‘Saawariya’.
“I think the industry has not been fair because the way I acted in my debut, if a star kid did the same thing, he would have been somewhere else. I don’t remember Ranbir Kapoor acting that great in Saawariya. I know that I deserved the Best Debut award for my first film. I do feel that I have not gotten my due,” Muzammil told Filmibeat Prime.
Muzammil added that though he is beginning to get some recognition now, it’s not what he believes he deserves.
“Not in the capacity that I feel I deserved because had I been a star kid, the limelight I would have gotten would have been crazy,” he said.
Recalling the hype that followed his debut, he said, “People had started saying that India has got its next superstar at that point of time. I was not saying it.”
Alleging that the industry’s top names have deliberately limited his opportunities, he said, “I feel even now, they know that I am deserving. They also know that I am a threat to the guys who are the A-listers and they watch out for their own assets a lot. They will have me removed from a parallel lead. They have done that in the past.”
In an interview with Siddharth Kannan earlier, Muzammil had revealed, “Ayan Mukerji had written a role for me in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, but he ultimately went ahead with Aditya Roy Kapur for the same role.”
Despite challenges, Muzammil is determined to achieve the recognition he feels he deserves.
