‘I have learnt to say no’

His last release Action Jackson may have fetched him a lot of flak but that has not tainted Ajay Devgn’s star appeal. He is still seen as one of the most bankable actors in the industry, who is confident to bounce back with his next release Drishyam that hits the theatres this month. “This will be one of the best films of my career. It takes a lot to put together a film of this level. It’s fun to work in a comedy film but a film like Drishyam can be extremely exhausting both physically and emotionally,”

Ajay says. The film brings together the actor with his former co-star and childhood friend Tabu after many years. Together they dazzled the screen in films like Vijaypath and Thakshak. Ajay feels nothing has changed between them in all these years. “Working with Tabu in Drishyam was no different from working with her in ’90s. We’re childhood friends, our real life equation helps us work in perfect tandem. Since we’ve been busy with our respective work there wasn’t much interaction before the film took off. But we started from where we had left off. That’s the strength of every friendship.”

Not many actresses from the 90s have been able to sustain their box office viability. Very few still continue to play lead roles in their respective films. “I think Kajol and Tabu have been very focused on their work. It’s very hard to get them to do a film. Unless they are convinced about their role and the script, they won’t agree. The ones who focussed less on their craft and more on their looks, faded into oblivion. And those who were genuinely talented have sustained purely on the basis of their work,” Ajay says without mincing words.

Speaking of his wife Kajol, we ask Ajay about her decision to step out of her comfort zone, her camp. With Dilwale, she has opted for a genre of cinema that her husband is synonymous with. From Karan Johar to Rohit Shetty — how is she coping with the switching of camps? “I’m happy that Kajol has decided to venture into comedy and action. So far, it was strictly my territory but she has followed suit,” he says with a laugh. “Since she has been synonymous with intense roles, the transition hasn’t been very easy. I had warned her about that,” he says. But the doting husband quickly adds that Kajol being Kajol has surprised him and their filmmaker friend Rohit Shetty.

After wrapping up his current projects, Ajay will focus exclusively on his directorial venture Shivay. “There has been so much speculation about the film. When I was doing the recce for Shivay, I had told my all my assistants that it’s better to postpone the shoot to the end of 2015 than rush into it. I had my reasons to delay it. Being the director of the film I have a right to decide when to start my film. But people jumped to conclusions that I’ve shelved the film. Shivay is not a run of the mill film. It’s a difficult film in terms of content and cost. At this stage of my career, I don’t feel the need to go around giving clarifications and explanations about my work.”

Twenty-five years in the industry Ajay has made friends with most co-actors who have been his rivals too. “From rival actors to rival producers, we’ve come a long way,” he says. Since he’s also a successful producer, we ask him for his take on the trend of producers announcing the release dates of their films. “As a producer, if you’ve chalked out the perfect plan and you are ready with the pre-production work, it’s fair to block the release date for your film. But if you don’t have a ready plan and just want to announce for the heck of it then, too bad. You end up making a mockery out of yourself,” says Ajay who has already announced that Son Of Sardaar 2 will release on the Dilwali of 2016.

As a senior actor in the industry, Ajay feels that the camaraderie that the younger lot of actors these days share is more to build a brand. “For the younger lot of actors there is so much at stake. Everything is a calculated move. It’s like a brand meets a brand. I remember dropping in on the sets of Akshay Kumar or Saif Ali Khan without thinking, “what news will it make”. The approach has changed. Having said that, the current lot of actors are more professional. Unlike us, they’ll never work in films because a certain actor of a filmmaker is their friend. Actors of my generation have made mistakes and learnt from them. Unfortunately, this lot cannot afford to make mistakes. Their stardom changes with the release of every film. So they are extra cautious. And from them, I’ve learnt to say no too.”