Ajay Devgn: Maintaining the right kind of physique is a matter of habit

Ajay Devgn, talks about changing action in Bollywood, inevitability of films clashing at the BO and more in a chat
Ajay Devgn seems to be getting fitter with each screen outing and has kicked some butt in each of his recent offerings, but it’s his dance moves, in his upcoming film Action Jackson, that’s caught everyone by surprise. Ajay seems to have totally “enjoyed” doing a jig here and there and even accepts that while he might have “shaken a leg before,” he’s been deluged with compliments this time around, some even saying he’s looking “comfortable even while dancing.” Ajay, who was in Ahmedabad recently to promote his film, talked about the importance of being fit, dancing to the orders of “the best dancer” (Prabhu Dheva) he has seen and more.Excerpts from a chat:
You are seen flaunting your physique (again) in this film, which seems to have become a requisite in almost all action films. So, how tough is it to maintain such fitness level through all these years? I don’t know about the requisite, but being fit and in shape is more like a habit with me. But it is not possible to have this kind of body throughout the year. Usually when we are required to give a shirtless shot, we are informed by the filmmakers well in advance so that we have enough time to get in proper shape. But all I try to do is be fit all the time.
Is it not difficult to go through such physical transformations for every film? It would be if I had to go through a drastic transformation, which I haven’t yet. If a film required me to weigh some 100 kilos, that would be very difficult. Otherwise, maintaining the kind of physique I have right now is only a matter of habit and the need to keep fit.
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How have you seen action evolve in Bollywood over the years? Things are a lot different now from what it was when I started off. In the past we used to hardly get any facilities and there was a lot more risk involved during heavy duty action sequences, now we have a lot of facilities at our disposal and the entire way of how they are shot and shown in the film have changed a lot too, which I think is the most natural way of progression.
Booking release dates in advance is fast becoming the most important aspect of filmmaking. And almost all festivals are booked. How much does it impact a film’s BO when it doesn’t get a desired and suitable release date? It is true that release dates are very important these days and festivals make a huge impact on how a film fares at the BO. But so many films are being made that two big films clashing at the box office during a festival is inevitable. We just need to get used to this and continue making films.
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