I'm still here, have some great characters to look forward to: Bobby Deol on 30 years in films

New Delhi: It will be three decades in showbiz for Bobby Deol in 2025 and the actor says he is happy to still be around after all these years doing more work now than ever.

Barsaat, his first film as a leading man, will turn 30 next October.

Deol, who made his acting debut in veteran actor-father Dharmendra's 1977 movie Dharam Veer, said he has been "lost in the journey towards" where he has reached today.

"When you're so involved in trying to improve yourself and reach a goal, you forget how many years you spent.

"If you think about how many years you spent, then it kind of makes you feel 'Oh, I haven't achieved anything in so many years'," the 57-year-old told PTI.

One of the most popular faces in the late 1990s and early 2000s with titles such as Soldier, Gupt, Humraaz, and Ajnabee, Deol went through a dry spell before bouncing back with multi-starrers such as Race 3 (2018) and Housefull 4 (2019).

Success of the Netflix feature film Class of 83 and Prakash Jha's MX Player web series Aashram garnered critical acclaim for the actor during the pandemic.

Last year, the actor stole the limelight as the vicious mute antagonist Abrar in the action drama Animal, fronted by Ranbir Kapoor.

"It's great to know that I've spent 30 years and I'm still here. In my mind, I still think like a child. It's only when I see my kids, I realise 'Oh, I've become old'," he added.

Deol is now set to make his south cinema debut with Kanguva, the Tamil film headlined by Suriya.

He is also working on separate projects with other south stars Vijay, Pawan Kalyan and Nandamuri Balakrishna.

"I'm doing more films in the south industry than I am doing in my own industry, which is great. I have some great characters to look forward to... God has been kind," he said.

Kanguva, directed by Siva, is slated to be released worldwide on November 14.