Archiv » Jahr 2002

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/13062347.cms

‘Kajol believes in awards, I don’t’
15 Jun 2002, 2356 hrs IST,Sudeshna Chatterjee,TNN

The flame fans shadows onto his cheekbones. Ajay Devgan lights a cigarette and lets it hang precariously between the joints on his fingers. Decidedly sophisticated.
The star of Ram Gopal Verma’s Company. “I have not drawn any inspiration from any real life don. Ramu just told me to be normal. I followed his instructions,” observes Devgan. What you see is what you get.
In the flush of Bhagat Singhs, he’s come out trumps. As the belligerent martyr, he pulled out all the stops and came up with a whammy of a performance.
Just a couple of months ago, his brooding gangsta act in Company won him hosannas. Clearly it’s been a time for reinvention.
The 32-year-old actor has no regrets. Or apprehensions. He burst on the scene with Phool aur Kaante. A superhit that didn’t receive its due.
And whispers in the film circles screamed that fight master Veeru Devgan’s son lucked out... a one-film flash. Then came Jigar, Zakhm, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. All favourites. And some bad apples. Like Raju Chacha. Devgan stresses that every good film is about teamwork.
“It’s the script, character, director, producer... filmmaking is teamwork and everybody has to be honest to the film.” But then making a good film is not enough. The promotion is equally important, probably a reason why Raju Chacha bombed.
“(It was) promoted as a children’s film and some of the action sequences are so scary that the kids got scared and didn’t want to see it again,” he analyses.
So is he worried about The Legend of Bhagat Singh? The four other films blazing the same trail? Dharmendra’s production? Bobby Deol? Scores of questions.
Devgan is unperturbed. “We are just interested in our project. We have not made a documentary. It’s a very heroic film. At the end of the day, the film which is true and honest will do best. Rajji told me about the film one and a half years ago. He has been researching it for the past three years. History has not given Bhagat Singh his due... what he was and what he really wanted to do. At least I have not studied this in my school textbooks,” he points out.
Now impassioned, the actor continues, “He didn’t just want freedom. He predicted what is happening today... things like communal riots and he wanted to counter these since then. In fact the first time that the British arrested him was not because he was demanding freedom, but because he was trying to ensure Hindu-Muslim unity. If you see our film, you will know. We went strictly by the book. He said that after 50 years of freedom, the country would go through hell if we attain freedom the way we did. Our people will do the same thing that the British were doing... corruption, divide and rule. He was like a Swami Vivekananda in his thinking, very futuristic and clear. He never feared death. So many political leaders who fought for the country, before going to the gallows, got really scared and even wrote letters to the British to forgive them... but Bhagat Singh was not one of them...”
Devgan emerges from his trance and you can hear the ring of sincerity in his diplomatic tirade.
For Ajay Devgan is an upright man. And a sentimental one. He doesn’t slobber over awards and keeps what he has close to his heart. We’re talking about the national award for Zakhm. Devgan feels, “For us, it is the highest award of the country and I know I did not play any games to get it.”
He caustically brushes aside the popular awards. “My wife Kajol believes in them, not me. So, I will not accept an award there and I don’t think I will ask my wife to pick it up for me,” he hisses.
Speaking about Kajol, he pooh-poohs all rumours about their split or his flirtations. Of course, when Kajol had a miscarriage, Devgan says, they had to issue a statement assuring people that it was not a life-threatening miscarriage just to stem any ugly interpretations.
The actor is 40 films old... does he not encounter a certain ennui dishing out film after film? But Devgan claims he is a spontaneous actor.
“I don’t even know before the shot what I am going to do,” he says. Born and brought up in Mumbai, Bollywood has been an innate part of him since childhood. Today, he dabbles in his own production and distribution house.
It’s a comfortable existence on the well-oiled wheels of life and Devgan will neither work for want and money nor flippancy. A film like David Dhawan’s recent Hum Kisise Kam Nahin testifies the strength of his relationships.
“I stepped in when a friend of mine in production faced some problem. But today I have no regrets.” The film, a remake of Analyze This, has been booed at by moviegoers.
Not that it affects him. The filmi Devgan ends where his life begins. He doesn’t want to look behind the chintz curtains or peer at the crystal ball... his present is consuming enough.
Ajay Devgan hangs out with his childhood friends, prays for five minutes a day and never takes his work home. All in a day’s work.

http://www.rediff.com/entertai/2002/apr/10ajay.htm


Sukanya Verma
Ajay Devgan has changed beyond recognition.

Those who remember him as the gawky action Jackson in Phool Aur Kaante, Jigar, Divya Shakti and Bedardi can't believe how far Ajay has come without media support and hype.

A born fighter, Devgan says he would rather let his work do all the talking for him instead of giving a thousand interviews on various channels. "I have never believed in talking about myself or blowing my own trumpet. If I do all that where would I find time to do quality work?" he reasons softly.

Gentle, sensible, assertive and completely no-nonsense, Ajay Devgan strikes one as being a misfit in the film industry. He has his own terms and conditions for survival.
But his has been a magnificent makeover. In 1992 Ajay Devgan made his debut in Kuku Kohli's Phool Aur Kaante. Raw and raring to go, Ajay made everyone sit up and notice his persuasive screen presence. Phool Aur Kaante was released on the same day as Yash Chopra's ambitious love story Lamhe.

While the critically appreciated Lamhe fell like a house of cards, Devgan hit bull's eye with his film, walking away with Best Debutant Filmfare Award.

Action has always been considered Devgan's forte. But while Akshay Kumar and Sunil Shetty have experimented with and accepted roles which challenge their emoting, not fighting, skills only recently, Devgan started his experiments early in his career. After a series of monotonous action films, he played a lovelorn guy who loses his mental equilibrium when his ladylove deserts him in the superhit Dilwale.

Every director from Ram Gopal Varma to J P Dutta describes Devgan as one of the most reliable star-actors in the film industry. Devgan takes the compliments graciously but shyly. Not known to be media savvy, he lets his more extroverted wife, actress Kajol happily take the frontseat in their public appearances. Says Devgan, "It is true that Kajol has a larger circle of friends than me. Basically, she also likes to be away from social gatherings. We share the same temperament, essentially."

Initially, Devgan was often referred to as 'poor man's Sunil Dutt' for his slight resemblance to the veteran actor's looks. Devgan then came up with a winner in Mahesh Bhatt's Naajayaz. Pitted against the versatile talent Naseeruddin Shah, Devgan held his own as the wronged illegitimate son of an underworld don.

Those haunting eyes were effective once again in Bhatt's semi-autobiographical Zakhm. Zakhm was about Devgan going through a series of flashbacks about his difficult childhood and his unique bond with his mother (played by Pooja Bhatt). 'No other Hindi actor brings that shadow of sadness the way Ajay does to his roles,' says Bhatt.

Ajay Devgan won the National Award for his performance in Zakhm. The actor shared the honours with Malayalam superstar Mammootty, for his portrayal in and as Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar.

Laughing dismissively at the suggestion that his role in Ram Gopal Varma's Company --- releasing Friday, April 12 --- of a silently moody underworld don could get him another National Award after Zakhm, Devgan says, "Would you believe it? I haven't seen Company yet. I have been shooting in Mahableshwar for Raj Kumar Santoshi's Bhagat Singh, and wanted to bring a print of Company to Mahableshwar. But there are are no theatres here!"

Saying he liked what he had seen of himself during the dubbing, Devgan adds, "It is very strange, but Ram Gopal Varma had come to me with another offer. But the next day, he said he wanted me in Company instead. I heard the script and immediately said yes."

Director Harry Baweja, who directed Devgan in Dilwale, Diljale and Deewane, says, 'He is a very rare combination of versatile actor and extremely nice human being. Not only is he warm, he also conveys that warmth across to the audience. This helps the audience develop empathy towards him. He has expressive eyes, which he can emote very well with. He can express more than words. That is why I am working on my fourth project with him."

During the making of Thakshak, director Govind Nihalani told rediff.com, "There is a certain sincerity, a certain honesty about his [Devgan's} performance --- the way he looks, the expression in his eyes --- that comes through. I discovered him as I went along. You realise that he is a man without guile."

Devgan's Thakshak costar Nethra Raghuraman adds, "Devgan and I have two scenes, and he is an amazing person. He was really helpful."

Those much talked about eyes successfully translated his dilemma in love in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. As the big-hearted and sacrificing husband Vanraj, Ajay Devgan was the ideal man.

There was the gregarious and good-looking Salman Khan, but it was the underdog Devgan that walked away with all the sympathy and audience support. According to Bhansali, Ajay's soulful eyes which project pain, pathos and grief did the trick: 'I like the scene in HDDCS where Ajay keeps asking his wife for permission to express his love.'

Trade expert Indu Mirani says, "Devgan chooses roles that suit his image. As seen in Dil Kya Kare, romance doesn't suit him. The kind of intense, dramatic roles he did in Kachche Dhaage and Zakhm make best use of his image. There is tremendous intensity in his eyes. He has the look of an underdog. Just like Shah Rukh Khan is portrayed as someone who can never lose, Ajay projects himself as someone who strives to win. Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam is a shining example of the same."

Ajay isn't exactly pinup material. That is a boon, insists Mirani: "The fact he isn't drop-dead good-looking actually helps; otherwise one wouldn't concentrate on his acting. So his looks or the lack of it don't really matter."

Whether his films become blockbuster bonanzas or not, they are considered a sound proposition in the distribution circles. In fact, after Sunny Deol, Ajay Devgan is regarded as a distributor's delight. Observes Mirani, "As far his trade position is concerned, when Devgan does action or intense, dramatic roles, his position is very strong. Intensity is Devgan's forte, be it romance or action."

In Raj Kumar Santoshi's Lajja, he played the part of a village messiah to the hilt. Impressed by Devgan's sincerity and histrionic skills, Santoshi cast him in and as Bhagat Singh, still under production.

Incidentally, there is another film being made on the life and times of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh by Dharmendra, the man responsible for giving Santoshi a break with Ghayal. Titled Shaheed, it has Bobby Deol playing the stellar role and Sunny Deol playing Chandra Shekhar Azad. It is directed by cousin brother Guddu Dhanoa.

Devgan for his part is deeply excited about his role as Bhagat Singh. "There is a lot of homework going into the project. Santoshi's team has been doing research on Bhagat Singh for three years." Devgan had to change his look, body language and attitude towards history while playing the role. The film is being shot in a start-to-finish schedule to preserve authenticity and continuity.

When reminded that Sunny Deol is also producing a biopic on the life of Bhagat Singh, Devgan shrugs nonchalantly. "That is between Sunny Deol and Raj Kumar Santoshi. It doesn't concern me in any way. As long as we can make our version of Bhagat Singh's life the way we want to, they can do whatever they like. I am quite sure of one thing: the quality of our work won't suffer just to get to the theatres first. Our Bhagat Singh is very different from Sunny Deol and his director Guddu Dhanoa's film. I believe theirs is a remake of the 1965 film Shaheed with Manoj Kumar."

In another one of Devgan's forthcoming films Hum Kisise Kum Nahin (inspired from Analyze This) Ajay Devgan attempts comedy. Earlier, he had worked in Indra Kumar's Aamir Khan-Juhi Chawla-Kajol starrer Ishq. But the film belonged to Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla.

With HKSKN, Ajay will be working with David Dhawan for the second time. The first was Dhanwaan, costarring Karisma Kapoor and Manisha Koirala. "Hum Kisise Kum Nahin has Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, with Sanjay Dutt in a guest appearance. So again, it is bound to create a buzz, " points out Mirani.

She adds, "His upcoming films Company, Chori Chori and Hum Kisise Kum Nahin look promising and carry positive reports. All the films have been made with passion, and it shows. Company looks the hottest while Chori Chori looks like a fun film."

Chori Chori is a love story, in which Devgan is paired opposite Rani Mukherji. The film is on the lines of Pyaar Toh Houna Hi Tha (Kajol), and is directed by Milan Luthria, who made an impressive debut with Kachche Dhaage (Ajay Devgan, Saif Ali Khan).

As a producer, Devgan may have suffered huge losses with damp squibs like Hindustan Ki Kasam, Dil Kya Kare and Raju Chacha.

As an actor, Devgan may not have had a hit since Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, but one cannot deny that his performance has been consistent film after film.

In one of his early television interviews, Ajay Devgan jokingly recalled how was considered an outstanding student in class --- he was always [punished] stood outside the classroom.

Today, Ajay Devgan stands out as an actor.

With inputs by Subhash K Jha

Hum Kissi Se Kam Nahin: An Entertaining Multi-starrer

With Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgan, Hum Kissi Se Kam Nahin has a casting people will like to see. Besides, the Afzal Khan multi-starrer has everything a good entertainment film should have.

Known as very close friend of Afzal Khan, Sanjay Dutt, playing Munna Bhai, gets a chance to work with Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai and Ajay Devgan for the first time. At one time, Sanjay was believed to be only an action hero, but here he will be seen doing comedy.

Sanjay's relations with Afzal are old. He was assistant director to Raj Sippy and Sanjay worked
in several of Raj Sippy's films. Thereon, they became close friends. In Afzal's first film Mahanta -as director - Sanjay was the hero. After Mahanta, Afzal started his new film Mehbooba, in which, apart from Sanjay, Manisha Koirala and Ajay Devgan are also starring . Mehbooba was suspended to help complete Hum Kissi...

Producer of Hum Kissi..., Afzal doesn't interfere in others' work, though active all the time. Sanjay is doing the role of Munna Bhai, who is connected to the underworld. Unlike characters of the underworld who are shown serious, Munna Bhai is fun-loving. Sanjay had also worked in entertaining films like Haseena Maan Jaayegi and Jodi No 1.

It is said an actor should be able to do any character. In Ram Gopal Verma's recently-released film Company, Ajay Devgan has done the role of an underworld don, in Raj Kumar Santoshi's Shaheed Bhagat Singh he has the historical role. In Hum Kissi... he is playing yet another.

Like in the case of Sanjay Dutt, Ajay is also an old friend of Afzal. Afzal had very good relations with Ajay's dad Veeru Devgan, claims Ajay, and therefore Afzal always took him as his younger brother.

In Hum Kissi..., Ajay was given the role which originally Salman Khan was to play as the latter had some problems with dates. With director David Dhawan, this is Ajay's first film. " I am very happy that I worked with David", Ajay commented. "He is fabulous".

Ajay has worked with Amitabh Bachchan in Hindustan Ki Kasam and Major Sahab. With Aishwarya Rai, Ajay had done films like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and with Sanjay he is already working in Mehbooba.

About his role in Hum Kissi..., Ajay says: " My character is of a very innocent boy, who loves Aishwarya but the biggest problem for me is that I am very frightened to say anything before Aishwarya's doctor-father (Amitabh Bachchan). In entertainment this film Kissi Se Kam Nahin...

http://www.indiatraveltimes.com/cinema/kamnahin.html