Dev D was released in theatres on February 6, 2009. The film put Abhay Deol on the map and received a lot of love and appreciation from the critics and the audience.

However, Abhay Deol has now revealed that the fame and attention that he received post the massive success of the film, was unprecedented.

He further added how he was not prepared to deal with that kind of attention from the masses. And hence, he left Mumbai and ran away to New York.

Abhay told Humans Of Bombay, “I was finding it hard to deal with the attention and fame because I started getting flashbacks of when I was a kid. I was a sensitive child, and I didn’t like the attention. I liked the art, creativity and medium. I knew that Dev D was going to be big, but I didn’t want to be famous. But at the same time, I wanted to act. There was a conflict within me. I focused a lot on the negatives. I hadn’t resolved many issues, so I just ran away because I was afraid of being famous and everything that came with it.”

He added that he did have an idea about how big Dev D would become, and the impact that it would have on his career trajectory.

Eventually, Abhay realised that it was just a momentary lapse and not a permanent move. He then returned to Mumbai.

Abhay shared, “I knew I wasn’t going to stay there. I was just in New York playing the part I played in Dev D, getting drunk, not working, and being terrible with my money. It was a waste in that sense. I won’t call it a waste now because I learnt something, but it was destructive. I wanted to come back home and continue to earn and support myself and my family. There are responsibilities; you have to come back. This is a make-believe world. I knew it wasn’t going to be permanent; it was a temporary escape.”

Dev D was written and directed by Anurag Kashyap. The film also had Mahie Gill and Kalki Koechlin in key roles.