Ajay Devgn is working on his next movie as a director, and it will feature actor Akshay Kumar in the lead role. The 55-year-old actor-filmmaker made the announcement at the 22nd edition of the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit (HTLS) on Saturday, during a fun and freewheeling conversation with Sonal Kalra, Chief Managing Editor, Entertainment and Lifestyle, Hindustan Times.

“This is something we were planning to announce later, but I think this is a great platform to share it now. We’re already working on something together where I’m directing the film and he’s in it,” Devgn said on stage, as the audience burst into applause. Kumar, speaking with a sense of pride about his longtime friend’s directorial venture, added, “It’s going to be great, being directed by Ajay Devgn.”

Fresh from the success of Singham Again, the actors shared their thoughts on why sequels and franchises are important. Kumar, 57, said, “The audience wants to watch part twos and part threes. We can’t help it.”

Devgn added, “With the OTT culture coming in, the audience has become very selective. They take their time to decide when there is a new film, if they should go see it or not. But when it is a sequel, they know they have had a great experience, they know the characters and the story, they like the story, and they are more sure about going and watching it.”

Towards the end of the session, the two participated in an impromptu quiz that tested their knowledge of politics. They were joined by Ravneet Singh Bittu, Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Industries, and Shazia Ilmi, National Spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who were quizzed on cinema.

Both the actors and politicians were on point with their answers, but it was Kumar and Devgn who truly stole the show. When asked, “Which politician do you think would make a good actor?”, Kumar promptly named former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, adding that he meant it as a compliment. The response had the audience in stitches, turning the quiz into one of the most memorable moments of the event.