Ajay Devgn unveils Hindi trailer of Odia film 'Daman'

Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; March 30, 2023)

After enjoying the success of Drishyam 2, Ajay Devgn is all set to ace the action space once again with his film Bholaa. The action-packed entertainer, which hits the screens today, boasts of jawdropping action scenes, including a thrilling sixminute bike-truck chase scene. Like Ajay says, action by itself doesn’t work without strong emotions backing it, which is what fuels his latest directorial project. In a chat with Bombay Times, the actor-filmmaker talks about his father, action director Veeru Devgan, being the source of inspiration all his life, how he believes that technology has to be used efficiently in our cinema and his vision as a filmmaker. Read on:

This is your fourth film as a director. Most directors are known for certain kinds of film, which becomes their space. In your case, the common facet in your movies (Shivaay, Runway 34, Bholaa) is that it is high on technical expertise and finesse. That’s one strength you are using effectively in your storytelling…
Runway 34 was completely different from Shivaay, and Bholaa is completely different from the rest of them. I want to make films of different genres. Technology is there only to enhance the drama of the film and storytelling, and I use it accordingly. I never use technology only because I am tech-savvy.

You have said that you want to create an entire Bholaa world. Does that mean that you are looking at creating a franchise with a universe of its own around the character?
That’s the idea. The film ends on a note leaving scope for continuation. But everything also depends on how the film does. You can’t continue with the idea if it doesn’t work. The intention is that we bring in more characters and things like that ahead.

At a time when remakes are not really working at the box office, your last film Drishyam 2, which was a remake, was a huge success. One of the reasons behind its success, the makers said was that they didn’t redo the film as is, but narrated the same story in a different way. So, when you are talking about creating a Bholaa world, are you doing it from an entirely fresh perspective?
Yes, it’s something new and wasn’t a part of Kaithi (Tamil film). When you see the film, you will realize that we have only picked up the story idea and adapted it. When you make remakes shot-to-shot, it’s a different thing (the results are different). But when you adapt it the way you want in terms of its characterization, drama, emotions and treatment, then it’s different. You start following your own path, which can lead you anywhere. What I have done is, I have merged it from real to surreal. All the positive characters in the film are very real, but all the negative characters are from a crazy world, not really the Mad Max (franchise) kind of a world, but in the larger-than-life kind of a zone.

Everyone is talking about the six-minute biketruck chase scene. How do you ensure that the action in your films take a leap with every project – in terms of visual impact, technical expertise and VFX?
I have inherited it from my father (action director Veeru Devgan). I have learnt most of it from him. He used technology at a time when it wasn’t available. He took it to a point where people were amazed at how he did a particular scene at that particular point. Now that I have the support of technology, I can take it forward and create something where even people who are exposed to technology will turn around and wonder how this was created. Whenever I design my action scenes, I ensure that I don’t copy a shot from any Hollywood film. In most of our movies, you see the action sequences and know that this is something you have seen in a Bond film, or a Mission Impossible. So, when you create something different, there is no reference point, and it becomes tougher to execute.

This action sequence that you are talking about was very risky. We needed some top-notch bikers, so we flew in some international ones, and some from Pune and rehearsed for three months. To capture the chase, cameras needed to be closer. It was riskier, and so we designed the equipment accordingly keeping safety in mind.

Do your children, Yug and Nysa, enjoy watching action films?
My son does. The bottom line is that every action has to have an emotion attached to it, else even a well-executed sequence will not connect with the audience. It is the drama and emotion behind the action which is important. Action alone doesn’t work; it is the emotion behind the action that makes it work and good directors know how to use it well. If you see KGF - Chapter 2, there was an emotion behind the action and that’s what worked. Back home, Yug loves action, but Nysa is not interested. Yug watches a lot of anime too. He’s started to watch a lot of films, and he’s waiting to see Bholaa.

Recently, you posted a pic of Yug and you arm wrestling for fun and the caption read, “Akeli ek ladai jise har baap haarna chahta hai (The only fight in which every father wants to lose).”
See, now that’s an emotion. The thought was not arm wrestling, but it was about the emotion that every father wants his son to do better than him. Today, they say – here comes Ajay Devgn, but after 20 years, I would like to hear, 'Here comes Yug’s father'. That’s the mindset of every parent.

Bholaa looks like a film that is rooted in our culture, there is an Indianness to it. Do you believe that these stories, coming from our culture and history will make our cinema stand out?
To an extent, yes, I agree. Well, it’s not just the Indianness, but there’s more connect when you showcase your own culture in your film. Also, if the audience begins to feel that the hero’s character is one of them and the world (story setting) is their own, then it works better. In India, we are not making films on subjects like aliens because there has to be a connect. You make a film for your own market. We have grown up on supernatural mythologies, we have our epics like Mahabharat and Ramayana, which have every kind of character you can think of in this world. You see foreign directors picking these things and justifying their films, including Avengers or Avatar. All this is our own, and if we are not using it, then it’s our loss.