The year gone by was a disaster for films and actors with hardly any actors finding appreciation but the one that did was Ajay Devgn for TANHAJI: THE UNSUNG WARRIOR and it turned out to be a one horse race for best actor. The applause that Ajay Devgn got in cinemas of Maharashtra has not been seen in a long time. It could be due to the local flavour of the film but you still have to perform well to get the response.

The film saw the type of runs in smaller cinemas of places like Nashik, Sangli, Latur, Chandrapur and many more that have not seen for a long time. The collections in these places were similar to BAAHUBALI 2: THE CONCLUSION but the runs were longer as initial business was less. Although performances in parts of the industry and media are judged by awards but the correct way is always public response and Ajay Devgn got a response for TANHAJI: THE UNSUNG WARRIOR that has not been seen for some time.

Tanhaji may have given Ajay Devgn his career’s highest grossing film, but the 100-film-old actor still feels he’s a misfit in the industry
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 9, 2020)

You can tell it is Ajay Devgn from afar just by the way he walks. But he insists that his gait isn’t “cultivated”. We’re in a tent on a hill in Powai, where the star is in the midst of shooting his next, based on the life of legendary football coach Syed Abdul Rahim. Devgn’s latest release, Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, the 3D rendered biopic on the 17th century Maratha warrior has rocked the box office (260.67 crores and counting) — and become his highest-grossing film.

The 50-year-old actor, dressed in a plain grey shirt and dark trousers, has a cool 100 films under his belt. And over the years, he has remained a consistent star, steadily adapting to the times. What really sets him apart, however, is his peculiar ability to remain aloof in an industry as insular as Bollywood. “I am not completely fit to be in this industry in that sense,” he confesses, explaining how he could never keep up with the networking game — and “couldn’t care less” even if it curbed his options.

Unlike many of his contemporaries, who meet expectations rather than confound them, Devgn rarely does what’s expected of him. A determined recluse, he admits how hard he strives to limit his off-screen appearances to just film promotions, and how he’s “allergic” to interviews, socialising with peers, and social dos. “I’ve always stayed the way I am… on my own terms and conditions,” he says. “If I can get whatever little success from this, I am happy with that.”

A flying start
Devgn made his debut with Phool Aur Kaante (1991), a film that catapulted him to overnight stardom. He was 18 at the time and having “a wild time”, when his father, the late veteran action director Veeru Devgan, pulled him out of college and threw him into the deep end of the industry. “Before acting, I assisted Shekhar Kapur [director]. Initially, I was more drawn to editing, direction and writing,” he says. “I was certain that if my first film doesn’t work, I wouldn’t roam around with my portfolio, asking for work.”

Over the years, Devgn’s talent has been recognised. He won National Awards for his compelling turns in Mahesh Bhatt’s taut political drama Zakhm (1998) and Rajkumar Santoshi’s The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002). But by his own admission, he finds it unbearable to sit through his films when they air on TV. “Even in those films that have won awards I feel that I could’ve done better,” he says.

He isn’t, however, his fiercest critic. Devgn often turns to his 16-year-old daughter Nysa for a reality check. “If I’ve recorded a song, I make her listen to it and there are times she’s told me, ‘This kind of music doesn’t work today’,” he says. Surprisingly, he refrains from talking shop with his wife and actor Kajol. But does she have a favourite film of his? “I’ve never asked her,” he says. “But in an interview, she once named Company [2002].”

From goofy comedies (Golmaal) and romantic dramas (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam) to Shakespearean adaptations (Omkara), Devgn has straddled a gamut of genres, even while recording sporadic success. What has stuck with audiences, however, is his image of a brooding action hero. “I’ve not built myself like that. Maybe it’s my personality that extends across the screen,” he says. “Also, before Ishq, I wasn’t really offered anything else”. Today, he prefers to “rotate genres to kill the monotony”. “As an actor, you can’t be too picky,” he says. “I always joke that the only genre I’m uncomfortable with, is porn.”

No regrets
That Devgn turned down superhits like Karan Arjun (1995), doesn’t bother him. “I don’t even regret those that I did to maintain friendships, which I knew wouldn’t work and were flops,” he says. What about his contemporaries and how their careers panned out? “I get along with most stars of my day. They’re around because they all have something to offer. And you can also be a superstar and not be a great actor, but know how to carry yourself. Even that’s something.”

Known for being inaccessible to the media, Devgn says he wasn’t always as reticent. “From raising my hand on them to sharing a drink and sorting things out, it’s been like any other friendship,” he says, adding that the proliferation of the media has made it difficult to retain that personal rapport he once shared. “Once they even linked me with a heroine who I had never met socially or even spoken to over the phone.”

As producer, Devgn greenlighted a diverse range of films, including the Nana Patekar-starrer Aapla Manus (2018). His checklist of evaluating a potential film is basic. “The story should connect with the audience, make one laugh, cry or engage with the characters.” This theory isn’t always foolproof, he says. “Raju Chacha, for instance, taught me that I need to control my expenses,” he says of the box office dud, which launched his production house in 2000.

Devgn is also known for his military-like discipline towards his fitness goals. We ask him whether he begins his day with half-a-glass of almond milk and a few dates, which catches him off guard. “Who told you?” He adds that he accompanies it with a heavy breakfast, and tries to “avoid carbs in the evening”.

At present, the actor has his hands full with biopics and is currently working on three — Bhuj, Maidaan and Chanakya. The choice of subjects, however, was “entirely based on merit”. “Look at Tanhaji, for instance. Why create fictional characters with that kind of heroism, emotion and vibe, when there are figures in history who offer all this.”

We’re joined by publicity design veteran and Devgn’s collaborator for over two decades, Rahul Nanda. He praises the actor’s ability to keep a straight face “even when life is stressful”. “Life doesn’t give you stress, people do,” the actor blurts out in his trademark deadpan style.

After makers of Helen’s classic get upset over Mungda remix, Total dhamaal director Indra Kumar says song was recreated to ‘pass on the gem to next generation’
Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; February 8, 2019)

Bollywood continues to take the easy way out to ensure a chartbuster — rewind, rehash and repeat. In the latest example of recreating old ditties, the makers of Total Dhamaal revisited Helen’s classic, Mungda. Singer Usha Mangeshkar and composer Rajesh Roshan — who had created the number for Inkaar (1977) — were quick to outrage over the track that features Sonakshi Sinha and Ajay devgn. According to reports, the composer alleged that today’s filmmakers “have lost the confidence to create new songs”.

Total Dhamaal director Indra Kumar doesn’t challenge Roshan’s allegation. “Lack of originality and talent in music is an understatement,” he says, but goes on to add that the idea of revisiting the song was to introduce it to a younger audience. “The original song was made over 40 years ago. Today’s generation isn’t aware of it. My kids hadn’t heard the original till I made them listen to the new version, and they loved it. I admit we aren’t half as good as them, but we didn’t set out to achieve their level of brilliance. This is our way of paying homage. We don’t have the capacity or intention to compete with them.”

The director insists that he has simply jumped on the bandwagon of rehashing forgotten gems. “There is no harm in following trends. I may have fallen short, but I didn’t intend to hurt them at any point. This generation has been deprived of those beautiful songs. Our job is to pass on the gems to them.”

Lata Mangeshkar has often expressed her reservation about how makers do not take their approval before repackaging their classics. Ask Kumar if he had reached out to Roshan and Usha Mangeshkar, and the director brings out the ugly truth of the music industry. “We don’t have to take their consent. when Neend Churayi Meri was remade [for Golmaal Again; the original belonged to Kumar’s Ishq], no one came to me for approval. The rights belong to the music label, and they [owners of the label] have the right to do what they want to.”

Roshmila Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 16, 2018)

Thirteen is a lucky number for Juhi Chawla. It was on November 13 that she entered the world. This year, she brought in her birthday with family, some under-privileged kids among whom she distributed sweets, and a flood of memories. She recalled the first big bash she’d hosted a year after Mansoor Khan’s directorial debut had turned Aamir Khan and her into the QSQT cuties. By then the former Miss India who’d waltzed into Wonderland without a definite plan, had realised that this was where she wanted to work. She invited her film family to her party at a Juhu five-star and was thrilled when the who’s who of the frat turned up, including Amir, Mansoor and his producer-dad Nasir Hussain.

Aamir’s name came up in many birthday scripts later. A few years later, when Juhi was bringing in her birthday quietly in her new Versova home, he drove up, bearing a gift, a bar of Cadbury chocolate. “That’s it?” Juhi asked and he laughed, “That’s it!”

Another birthday came along when the duo was filming a sequence for Ishq where Aamir chases Juhi into a warehouse. During lunch break, a cake was brought out and the birthday girl, all dressed up and smiling, cut it to a chorus of “Happy Birthday”. Then, with a mischievous glint, Aamir reached out for a chunk of cake and slapped it on Juhi’s perfectly made-up face. For a minute she stood there stupefied, then, as her pranking co-star took to his heels, she flew after him. “He was quick but I chased him all around Film City with Indu ji (director Indra Kumar) cheering me on, urging me not to give up. I finally caught Aamir and got my revenge by plastering his face with cake,” she reveals.

Ishq was a couple of years in the making and by her next birthday, the two buddies were no longer on speaking terms. “We were filming in the same studio but this time when the cake was brought out, Aamir was not around. Uske bina mazaa nahin aa raha tha, so I went looking for him. He was in his vanity van, closeted in a meeting with Amol Palekar. I was scared to disturb them so after a while I went back and cut the cake without him,” she recounts. It would be a few years before the problem was resolved with Juhi taking the initiative and making a call. “That’s when I realised that he too had been wanting to make-up but believing I was mad with him, didn’t approach me. The issue was trivial, and it felt good to be back to being friends,” Juhi smiles.

Another Khan, who along with wife, Gauri, has always been around on her special day, sometimes joining her husband Jay Mehta and the family for a birthday dinner, is Shah Rukh. Any gifts? Juhi points out that they are just a formality that friends can do without. “But Shah Rukh did get me a tiny gold cross from Spain,” she murmurs. Her most precious gift undoubtedly was a handmade card on an A4-size sheet, on which her kids, Jhanvi and Arjun, had listed out all of mamma’s instructions, from “Don’t eat junk” to “No more TV, it’s time to study!”, accompanied by funny doodles and blurbs. “This was when they were younger and more excited about the occasion,” she laughs good-naturedly, adding that she stuck their card on her bathroom mirror where it remained for the next few years till the ink faded. “It’s the first thing I’d see every morning.” Another sparkling memory is associated with Ajay Devgn’s Son of Sardaar which released on November 13, 2012. “It was Diwali, my birthday and I had a film opening on the day. That made it special!” she exults.

She remembers other birthdays on the sets, one which she brought in with Rishi Kapoor and a five-kg cake while shooting a song with P L Raj. “This year too, on my birthday, Chintu ji messaged from the US. We were to start a delightful, heartwarming film in Delhi in October. But then he wasn’t feeling well and had to fly out to the US for treatment. I told him to get well soon and come home so we could start our film.”

Side still: Aamir Lhan in Ishq; Juhi, Rishi in Bol Radha Bol

Dhaval Roy (DNA; October 18, 2017)

In Aamir Khan’s next Secret Superstar, he plays a flamboyant and outlandish music composer called Shakti Kumar. Buzz is that the character is inspired by music composer Anu Malik. Especially because Shakti is a music composer who is also a judge of music reality show, and makes outlandish comments, just like Anu.

'I TRUST AAMIR'
Anu, who has heard about Shakti Kumar being inspired by him, says it’s all good, “Aamir is one of the most outstanding actor, and human beings I know, so I’m sure whatever he has done, will be great and I completely trust his instincts,” says the composer.

FEELING LOST
What were his thoughts when he first heard the news of Aamir playing him? “I didn’t know how to react. I’m completely lost in my own work. Also, someone told me that Aamir had five composers in mind for this character. I have no clue whether I’m one of them. But, I secretly look forward to watching Secret Superstar,” he laughs.

WON'T BE OFFENDED
From what one has seen, the character comes across as a flashy and vain guy. What if the role turns out unflattering? “I will laugh it off. Aamir will never belittle or ridicule anyone. He is too big to resort to such gimmickry,” he reasons. It is also his equation with Aamir that’s at play for him to take the depiction in his stride. “We have known each other for decades. I composed the music of Baazi when he just entered the industry. With Akele Hum Akele Tum or Ishq, we have given big hits. Whenever there is something important or a celebration, he calls me up. When we run into each other at parties, he will come to say hi. He is one guy who has time for everyone. To me, Aamir is Aamir and whatever he does, I will respect."

NO PROBLEM!
Anu has been imitated on the small screen a number of times in comedy shows. He chooses to take how he is portrayed or even perceived with a pinch of salt. “Imitation is the best form of flattery. I guess I have made a mark with the way I dress, speak and move around. Besides, you can’t live your life if you get worked up about these things. If me being mimicked makes people laugh, I laugh too and move on,” he smiles.

He signs off with, “I read somewhere that I judge reality shows because I have no work. But people don’t know that I am up to my neck in projects right now.” The music director is composing for J P Dutta’s Paltan and two other projects. “I have been around for 40 years but the music that I am now composing makes me feel like I’m just starting off, especially after Dum Laga Ke Haisha and now Judwaa 2.”

Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; August 17, 2017)

Most ’90s heroines are opting to star in rather dark, gritty dramas, with a social message. Whether it’s Raveena Tandon Thadani in Maatr or Sridevi in Mom, the 40-something divas aren’t picking happy films.

However, Kajol wants to be different. There was some comedy in Rohit Shetty’s Dilwale, but she is waiting for a mad comedy, she admits. “I would love to do something like Ishq again. It was mad, funny and extremely entertaining. I’m hoping someone approaches me for a film like that.” She adds, “I think in the ’90s, we really made some great entertaining films. Although nobody has offered me a comedy like that now, I would not wait to say yes if something comes my way.” Filmmakers, take note.

Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; July 7, 2017)

Although Nitya Mehra may not have been the first to rehash a popular track for her film, the phenomenal numbers that Baar Baar Dekho's 'Kala Chashma' garnered on YouTube, inspired many filmmakers to explore the trend. Over the years, celebrated 90s tracks, including 'Humma Humma' and 'Tamma Tamma', have been rehashed for films, and the latest to join the bandwagon is Rohit Shetty. 'Neend Churayi Meri' from 'Ishq' (1997), is set to be rehashed for the fourth instalment of his 'Golmaal' franchise.

Interestingly, Ajay Devgn, who romanced actress-wife Kajol in the original, will groove to the Amaal Mallik version along with the other cast members of 'Golmaal Again'.

Confirming the news to mid-day, Mallik says, "I am doing two songs for the film, one among which is Neend Churayi. It's a big responsibility. It is also a tribute to my uncle, Anu Malik, who composed the original." Mallik says he won't include rap or EDM in his version. "We will retain the hook line and add new verses to the song. It will suit the mood of the film." The composer has not yet zeroed in on the singer for his version.