Why is Abhay Deol not in Mumbai to savour the rave reviews his "Dev D" is getting? The actor is in New York and has decided to make the city his home. He has even signed up for a welding and metal work course there because he finds it therapeutic!

"I'm here in New York to stay. Right now I'm at a rented place. But I'm looking for a place to buy. It was very important for me to get away and do things other than acting. Yes, acting is my primary passion. But there's so much more to do in life, " Abhay told over phone from New York.

So now onwards he'll be travelling between New York and Mumbai.

"It's not as easy as it sounds. Travelling back and forth will take a lot of time and money. And it was a hard decision to take. But I needed to get away. In Mumbai, I was getting caught in a rut, " Abhay said.

At the moment he is doing a course in welding and metal work at the Arts Students League of New York. Never heard of an actor doing a course in metal work before!

"Why not?" Abhay shoots back. "Melting metal at 60, 000 degrees fahrenheit is very therapeutic. It's as cathartic as living out the anguish of 'Dev D'. I was planning to take this time off too explore new territories for some time. But in Mumbai I was caught up in the never-ending chain of doing movies and promoting them.

"I thought I would finish this routine and then take time off. But it never happened. So I just took off after completing 'Dev D'. Now I'm glad to hear the film has been so well-received. So what if I'm not in Mumbai? Friends back home are keeping me informed, " he said.

Abhay has family, including his sister, in California and friends in New York.

"So it's not as though I'm alone. I don't miss home because this is also home now. I chose New York as my second home because it's a city that has always fascinated me. It's such a hub of activity. The creative possibilities here are unlimited. I want to grow not just as an actor but also as a human being, " he said.

Abhay will be returning to Mumbai for a new crop of assignments as and when they happen. These include Anil Kapoor's home production with Sonam Kapoor, a new film with Dibakar Banerjee of "Khosla Ka Ghosla" fame and the directorial debut of Vikramaditya Motwane, who co-scripted "Dev D".

The actor, who was launched by his uncle Dharmendra with "Socha Na Tha" in 2005, has featured in films like "Ahista Ahista", "Manorama Six Feet Under", "Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd" and "Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!" But Anurag Kashyap's "Dev D" is his first big hit.

He teamed up with two newcomers - Kalki Koechlin and Mahi Gill - in the film, which is a modern take on Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's classic novel "Devdas".

Abhay is thrilled about the triumph of "Dev D".

"We worked hard on the film. And now when I hear such good things being said about it, I feel all the labour has paid off."