EAT, PRAY, LOVE with ABHAY DEOL

When he's not playing characters that'll leave an impression for a lifetime, Abhay Deol is a homebody in pursuit of new creative skills. SAMREEN TUNGEKAR spends the day at the actor's Goa casa-a home he's built himself and discovers his approach to life, travel, and the importance of replenishment

- Ishika Laul

I land in Goa on a very rainy, misty morning—and immediately feel relief. The verdance of the trees with a slight drop in temperature is exactly what I, the not-a-beach-person, need. I take my meetings from the comfort of my car and head to my hotel, readying myself for a rather unplanned, go-with-the-flow day of conversation with an actor whose work, words, and personality have always steered clear of the conventional.

Goa means different things to different people. The unanimously preferred family vacation destination, the first affordable trip in college with friends, and most recently, the respite from city claustrophobia during the pandemic. Admittedly, I thought ‘moving to Goa’ is just a phase some people are going through, but that thought seems to change when I drive up a rather quiet slope in the middle of this forest in Assagao (yes, some of Assagao is still untouched) and my network dips as I arrive at actor Abhay Deol’s glasshouse.