After 25 years, one flop does not matter: Ajay Devgn
In a free wheeling chat Ajay talks about what kind of films his kids like to watch and the advantage of having six-pack abs.
Ajay Devgan is not saying that about Singham Returns. In fact, he is feeling buoyant about Rohit Shetty's next film starring him which releases this week. What the star is saying is that he was unfazed post the no-show of Himmatwala at the box office last year. Today at 45, the actor admits to having to work harder to maintain his fitness levels and do those dare-devil action scenes. While he has not been able to quit smoking, he has cut down on his alcohol consumption. In a free wheeling chat Ajay talks about what kind of films his kids like to watch and the advantage of having six-pack abs.
There is a lot of buzz about Singham Returns and the film is looking good. Is Singham already a hit in your mind?
I don't know about it being a hit but I've seen the film, I'm quite confident about it. As you said, I also get this positive vibe because the buzz is very good. So keeping my fingers crossed. I'm more positive than what you would be.
Do you think Singham Returns will do more business than Singham?
It should.
What was your daughter Nysa's first reaction when she saw the trailer of Singham Returns?
She loved it. And then she loved the songs also.
How does your earlier experience of having worked without cables and other safety nets/modern technology help you to push your limits today when you do action?
I enjoy doing it. We do use cables but so many times I like to push myself and I do it without cables. Like in Singham Returns, there are a couple of shots where I was shown by the action assistant what to do. He did it on a harness and I said, 'Okay let me do it without the harness.' I was making fun of them telling them, 'What is your age, what is mine and I'm doing it without a harness.' I like to push myself.
So doing it without safety measures gives you a thrill?
No, I wouldn't say without safety measures. Safety measures are always taken. But sometimes the shots are such that anything can happen. Like there's a shot in Singham Returns where I'm running away and a car explodes behind me. That really hurt me. It hit me badly. Everyone who sees that shot till today asks me, 'How did you manage to do that.' Safety measures are taken but accidents do happen.
You have broken your ankle, your knee, your hip bone, ruptured your arteries and veins on occasions, also suffered paralysis in your left hand for a while. Do you still suffer from the side effects of being a successful action star?
In a sense, yes. You get pains and aches sometimes. When you're doing action it gets aggravated again. The last time someone asked me this question, I said, 'Yeah, you do and I got up and removed two ice packs from my back and I said, 'See I'm wearing them and you don't know about it.'
With so many injuries, has your wife Kajol told you to tame down the action junkie in you?
No, not really. She knows I will do what I will do.
Do you think being a good actor is as important as looking good and having six pack abs?
I think it is very important to last. After a point just looking good and having great abs can take you to a certain limit. What is beyond that? And what is the satisfaction you have after that? You don't even get roles if you have not made a name. If you talk about such actors you know that they are non-actors. There are actors who have six packs and are good looking and are actors but there are also such non-actors. You can't think of casting them if you have a great film and a great role. So our most important job is to act.
So six-pack abs and good looks amount to nothing?
To have it is of course, a big bonus! It just makes you more watchable on screen.
Maintaining those levels of fitness must be a double challenge for someone like you who is addicted to nicotine and habituated to drinking.
Yeah, maybe. I've never seen nicotine affecting me but I'm sure it does. So I can imagine if I didn't have nicotine, I would be a lot better than I am today. And anyways, it is not a great thing to smoke. I would love to quit. I don't have the inclination right now. I tried to quit once but I couldn't manage. I don't consume alcohol the way I used to. I'm in control now. Once in a while you binge drink otherwise you have your two or three drinks a day.
Who according to you is the most fearless person in the industry?
I can't comment on that. Everybody has their own fears, including me. So if you ask me someone who is 'fearless' I can't just mention one name. I think there is nobody who is fearless. There could be emotional fears, there could be professional fears but there are fears.
Your friend Sanjay Dutt has a phobia of cockroaches. Do you have such phobias as well?
I have a problem with heights. Now I am fine with heights because I pushed myself. I have done action films, jumping from heights. I still suffer from claustrophobia. So if someone wants to put me into a box and shut me in, I will not be able to do that.
Do your kids prefer to see you in films like Golmaal or Singham?
I think both. My daughter Nysa prefers more of the Golmaal films but she loves Singham. My son Yug loves the action. He's four that's why he loves the action more.
They certainly don't fancy seeing you in a film like Satyagraha?
No. Not at all. They don't get that. My daughter has seen the film but she doesn't understand the issue. They want entertainment.
Will you be acting in the film you are producing for wife Kajol?
No, I will not be acting in it. We're still casting because there are a lot of actors in the film. It's a heroine oriented film. (Director) Ram (Madhvani) is still casting.
Your wife is a voracious reader. Has the kitabi keeda threatened to bite you any time?
If she likes something she tries to recommend a book to me. I get bored of reading. I read a couple of pages and I read half a book and I'm like okay. I just lose it somewhere. But, if it is something really nice, then I go through it. I just remember I had gotten hooked on to the Meluha series by Amish Tripathi. I've read all three. Okay, I didn't finish the third one because everyone was like it is not as great as the first two. That psyched me into finishing it.
That means you prefer narrations than reading a script.
I prefer narrations. I prefer hearing a narration from the director so I can see his vision. Not what the writer had in mind. That way I can judge if the director will be able to pull it off or not.
What qualities of your parents have your kids adopted?
My kids are too small so I really don't know what qualities they have adopted. But they do a lot of similar things. My daughter is very stubborn like me. Yesterday she was reading something and later told me, 'I'm like you'.
You danced okay in your initial few years in the industry. When did you get this image of being a reluctant dancer?
I used to dance earlier but I've always been reluctant. Then I got so lazy that I said I don't want to dance. I used to listen to a script and I would be like I don't want to dance. I've done more dancing earlier than what I do now. In between I was in a phase where I found it very stupid doing it. I felt I wasn't a great dancer, I didn't enjoy it so I was avoiding it.
Are you a better dancer than Sanjay Dutt or Sunny Deol?
Am I? I don't know. I think all of us fall in the same category.
Just read that the government has decided to levy huge taxes on cigarettes. That will surely burn a huge hole in your pocket?
That is going to burn a hole in everybody's pockets, whoever is smoking. But I think it is for the good. It will not matter much to us but it will matter to some people. It might just help them. It can be the other way round also. Somebody might go for a cheaper brand.
Do you think you deserve a hit after Himmatwala?
I wouldn't blame Himmatwala. See, what went wrong with Himmatwala was that I expected Himmatwala to be made in today's style. Sajid's mindset was different. Sajid has been a big director, he had given us such big hits. So when he asked me to trust him and follow him, I followed him. I wouldn't want to blame anybody for it. It's our decision which went wrong. I remember having this argument that why are you making Himmatwala which is a 80s film, in the style of the 80s? Like when we did Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai we did a 70s story in today's style. That is the only conflict we had and that is what didn't work out. I did trust him and I don't blame him for that.
You have not answered my question. Do you deserve a hit after Himmatwala?
Everybody deserves a hit. Not that Himmatwala has mattered much to me. It has mattered to Sajid. After being 25 years in the industry, one flop does not matter.