Ajay Devgan's Big Interview

  Real man do not go for cosmetic surgery, they age gracefully!

The self-assured, box office certified, and moviestar of all season,Ajay Devgn talks about fighting for your belief, Botox on men, global warming in the film industry and Kajol’s return to movie  

 Afsana Ahmed

“Ajay sir will quickly wrap up a channel interview and come up in few minutes,” says his long-time manager ushering me to the star’s suite in a five star suburban hotel. Minutes slip into an hour and but there is no sign of Ajay Devgan. A little later he walks in.

No show-offs, no noisy entourage and no starry aura, not even for a second I felt that a movie star had entered the room. Yet, odd it might seem to some but I think Ajay Devgan’s sex appeal and his magnetism lies in his nonchalant demeanour and his compelling honesty. There is something very raw about this man and perhaps that is his greatest connect with the audiences. “Man should be like man—real and rugged”, he said lighting a cigarette.

Never mind Rascals, forget Himmatwala, Ajay has moved on…. and this year he has got Singham 2; Prabhudeva’s film and few more to finalise from amongst many other scripts. Gung ho about his upcoming film Satyagraha, Ajay uncorks himself for a candid chat.

Excerpts from the interview.  

We have just recovered from Himmatwala. Your next film Satyagraha is coming up, but you haven’t indulged in any aggressive promotion despite admitting that marketing is key to success today. Why is that?

Agree marketing is vital and we have done whatever is required to push it. It has no item number and such films are not easy to promote. This film has a different sensibility and is competing with anyone so we have done our best and left everything to the audiences. 

The multiplex war which started with your film last year was gain in the news with Balaji Films and UTV locking horns. What are your thoughts on it?

 I anticipated this outcome in their fight because I went through it myself. But I stood my ground, and I succeeded in whatever way I did. I went to court as well. At that point, there were lot of whispers in the industry that I wasn’t justified in taking legal actions. I knew at that point that it wasn’t going to help my film in way but I could see that it was going to become a bigger problem for others. But nobody took me seriously and today it is happening to someone else. Anyways, the bottom-line is clear that there is no unity in the industry. So let people suffer.

Means?

I’m not gleeful at someone’s suffering, but unless you experience it you will not know the problem. It’s emerging that the film industry has no unity! In South there is so much unity amongst the producers and nobody can mess around.  

But had you withdrawn from the theatres if your film was doing roaring business? What do you think is the dynamics of this kind of war? Power play?

If I had made a promise I would have. It’s about principles. But again, to each his own. I have nothing to say. Coming to your second part more than power play, it’s the studios that have started these sort of practices. For instance, one studio makes 8 films in a year and the other studio is making only 3 films in a year.  So the studio with 8 films has more power and if he will put in his demands saying I’ll not give you all my 8 films if don’t give me X number of screens. The theatres owners have no option but to give in.

Your friend Rohit Shettty has given Shah Rukh Khan-- touted as your rival-- the biggest opening for a cinema so far. What kind of thoughts crossed your mind?

I’m happy for Rohit. When for the first time Rohit and Shah Rukh met, Rohit called me up and said, this is what I have been requested to do. I said you just go ahead and do it. Frankly, I don’t know about the film because I ‘haven’t seen it but I’m glad that it has made money. It’ll certainly have a spiralling and a positive effect on things to come. It’s good for the industry, good for Rohit and very good for Singham2.

Today all the stars--male and female--go under the knife or use Botox to look younger, what’s your take on it?  BOX

(Laughs) I seriously don’t know who does it. Everybody seems to deny it so looks like it’s a well-kept secret. Personally I don’t believe in it. Do I look like I have done anything to my face? See, there are two kinds of people, one is typical good looking, handsome boy and one is who has great presence as a man. The latter age gracefully, their lines also look nice so does their grey hair. People like that. Even women like that. You stay healthy too. But when a boy, who is a typically good looking boy, ages he starts looking awkward. And right now I think amongst my contemporaries I’m the youngest, so I have not thought about Botox and all that.

PG2

Kajol’s next film will be my production.

But isn’t it important for the movie stars, because they are in front of the cameras?

It depends on what you want and how you want to grow on or off screen. If you decide those lines look nice on you then it looks nice. I mean you see in Hollywood. So when you talk about Pierce Brosnan or Robert De Niro or anybody in their old age they have their presence intact and you don’t mind seeing them on screen. But if you talk about Tom Cruise who is handsome in a boyish, I think age he will not look good on him.

You said you haven’t seen OUATIMD but I’m sure you must have seen the promos. You have played the don in the first part and now Akshay Kumar has also played a don? How do you rate him? box

(Laughs) You can’t judge anything from the promos, you have to see the film to comment what the director has made him do. And it is for the people to decide how he has done it. I might be a little biased also. So I cannot judge anything and even if I feel anything, I will remain quiet about it.

Do you enjoy doing gangster role in films?

Once in a while is fine. I was offered a gangster film recently but I refused. Like I said earlier, I have a staggered approach to choosing roles. When I did Company where I played a don, people appreciated it and years later I did OUATIM though I was very apprehension about it. So in my head I worked out strategies how to enact it differently. So right now, if I have to play another Don, I will have to figure it out how differently I can portray it, otherwise I’m not going to touch it.

Coming back to the multiplex war, what is causing the disorder in the film industry? What do you think could be a possible solution to such problems?

Everybody is out to kill each other and do their own business. Competition is getting steep. I don’t want to take names, but if they don’t get united then it will get worse. It’s sad but that’s the truth and I’m not scared to speak.

A law has to be passed. Two years back there were two films coming on the same time either in Diwali, Eid or some other festival and everybody was getting fair share of theatres, success and money. Look at Dil and Ghayal or Lagaan and Gadar, they released on the same day and did well, because they were not trying to secure their film and kill each other. Everybody is going to fall in the trap until some law is made. My case is in the court, I don’t know what will happen, but if tomorrow everybody unites, the law will be made.

Don’t you want Kajol to make a comeback in movies?

Of course I want but with the right kind of the films. We’re working on a script for her hopefully it shall happen soon. I won’t be acting in it but producing it. She is very hard working and follows a healthier diet and workout regime than me.

You’re one of the rare actors who have successfully experimented in every genre, whether it is comedy, drama, action or serious roles…But what is your comfort zone?

As an actor I cannot be comfortable being uni-dimensional. I am lucky that audiences have accepted me in every genre. That’s a great compliment for an actor. If I have done a comedy it gets difficult for me to immediately take up a same role again. I have a staggered approach to choosing my films.

Movie stars make lots of money..

It’s magnified perception. We make money, but compared to the big industrialists it is nothing. If anything it’s the love and adulation of the public which is our biggest earning.  

Satyagraha doesn’t sound like a commercial film?  

Yet it is strong commercial films which will have a huge connect with the audiences. I like the fact that this film is about the youth, their angst, their aspirations and how they want to take things forward. They want to lead, and that’s a great sign. Thirty years back the youth didn’t have that many opportunities as today. They only had Government jobs through which they could live their dreams. That’s why nobody could raise their voice against issues concerning the country. But today with job markets opening up the youths are more socially, and economically empowered and therefore more aggressive and fiery in their outburst. Media has also been a strong part in bringing about this change. 

Many feel this is a great time for cinema. Do you endorse their sentiments?

Yes it is a good time in many ways, but not without the pitfalls. We may be rapidly rolling but the soul of the film industry is gone. The warmth that marked relationships here is no more. Earlier we would just walk into each other’s set and say whatever we want and not be misunderstood. We used to do films where we would make contracts just for the sake of it like for instance tax returns and other similar stuff. There was a lot of trust in things agreed on principle and nobody would disrespect it. Today you have to make fat contracts with each and every line highlighted. I understand these are part of professional set ups, but I can also see a lot of distrusts and scepticism creeping.

Like how?

In the way to making things system driven, relationships are being affected. But I feel the older lot like us (not counting everyone) still share the same warmth unlike the younger lot today. They’re very clear cut in their approach. I don’t think any of them mix their professional and personal life together. Unlike us, they don’t do films because so and so is their friend. They keep their emotions out of their work unlike us. In a way it is good. It’s all become very business oriented though.  

If you say it’s good sign what do you find unpleasant about it? box

It’s like global warming. Industries are increasing, productivity is fast growing but we are ruining the environment. It’s good for business, but bad for the environment because it is ruining it. It’s an unhealthy sign when you’re talking about human relationships.

So what do you do when you miss the good old days?

Nothing. You also become indifferent eventually and move on.

Ajay, you’re not perceived as very ambitions? Pull quote

I’m ambitious in my own way. But that doesn’t mean I have to be cut-throat. I’m only concerned with my work and I also want my career to be on my own terms which I’m doing it. So I’m satisfied, happy and not on a chase.

Do you sit to discuss the promotions of your film when the marketing is strategized? box

Yes, I do sit and discuss how a film should be promoted but I don’t want to cross a point and do stupid things which will appear stupid in my own eyes. I’m not judging anyone but I’m not stooping to some level to promote a film.

Please specify?

There are lots of things people create like issues and controversies, play games etc. etc. I wouldn’t go to that level as I don’t believe in all this just to promote film.