AJAY DEVGAN

For Ajay Devgan, 1997 has not been rewarding so far.
Itihaas, his only release this year, made no history.
Will Ishq bring him back in the reckoning...

This year hasn’t been a great one for you. You had one release, Itihaas,
which didn’t do well. And now, you have Ishq which has sent expectations soaring.
How do you feel about the film?
Ishq has shaped extremely well, the way we had visualised it. The response of the trade has been tremendous. It’s overwhelming. My company, Devgan Enterprises is releasing it in the Mumbai territory.

The film has taken nearly three years to make. Isn’t that making it look dated?
Surprisingly not. Agreed that Ishq took more time than expected, but it is a contemporary film. It’s today’s film. There was no lull in the shooting. We have been working on it regularly. We did reshoot portions of the film to make it look as fresh as possible.

How was it working with Indra Kumar?
It’s been great. Indu and I share a very cordial professional relationship. His style of working is different from what I am used to. His approach with his actors is also different. Generally I like underplaying but Indu likes more drama. He wants you to be more dramatic. I understood his style and expectations and blindly followed his style. Because the director is the captain of the ship. He knows what he wants. I am extremely delighted with the end result.

There were rumours that you had problems coming to terms with Aamir’s ways.
And you also felt that Aamir, who had worked with Indu
before was getting a better deal and had often cancelled shooting.
The rumour is totally baseless. Of course, there were arguments on the sets occasionally with the director. But that’s the done thing. A director and his actors should be convinced with what they are doing. There’s nothing wrong in debating a doubtful point. Aamir and I were comfortable with each other. I had heard a lot about Aamir’s over-cautions approach. Atleast I’ve never seen him poking his nose in anybody else’s matter. We had a nice time on the sets to work and how he wasted time in arguing over minor details. But I found the charge baseless. I never saw him interfere in the directors’ job. We get along very well on the sets.

Apparently, Ishq has comedy track running through it.
And you are not known to relish comedy so much.
It was a different experience. But I thoroughly enjoyed doing Ishq. I hope the audience enjoys watching it.

You seem to have stopped signing new films. Any specific reason?
I have changed my style of working. I have decided against taking on too many films. I want to do just two films at a time. I have been wanting to achieve this for the past couple of years. But because of the number of films I had on hand, I didn’t succeed. Things are under control now. Right now I am concentrating on two films: Tinnu Anand’s Major Saab and Anees Bazmee’s Pyar To Hona Hi Tha. Major Saab is completed barring some patchwork. Pyar To Hona Hi Tha will be through by December end.

Is that why you delayed Govind Nihalani’s Takshak? It was launched long ago and was to be completed in six months. But you started shooting for it only from last week.
I agree, that film took long to start, but it’s going to be a quickie. Though we had launched the film Govind wanted time to work on the script. When he was ready I had a problem. I had shortened my hair for my role in Major Saab. January ’98 onwards I’ll be working only on Takshak and our own film, Hindustan Ki Kasam. We will be wrapping up both in three or four months.

What about Mahesh Bhatt’s Shapit?
It was to be launched this and completed by March next year.
We were not scheduled to start Shapit this month. As I told you, my plan is to take on and complete two films at a time in six months. That’s how I want my career to go. Shapit will go on the floor in March next year and will be completed by July end. Which means I’ll have three films ready by next July end. Hindustan Ki Kasam, Pyar To Hona Hi Tha and Shapit. That way I’ll be able to sustain my interest in all my films. If a film drags, you might lose interest in it.

But, tell me honestly, will such planning work in our industry?
Film-making is teamwork. Just your planning may not necessarily help the film.
I agree with you. Most of the time planning doesn’t work in our system of working. But we have to keep trying. I have been at it for the past couple of years. But things kept going wrong for precisely the reason you mentioned. But there were times when the efforts paid off. It had worked in the case of Haqeeqat and Diljale. Haqeeqat was launched in January and was released by the end of the same year. We completed Diljale in six months. Today, with fewer films on hand, I am able to concentrate better on my work, and I am really enjoying it.

Why didn’t you think of planning your career better a little earlier?
Two years ago I wasn’t what I am today. People learn, don’t they? And change. A major reason could be that two years ago I wasn’t as confident of myself as I am today. My debut film, Phool Aur Kaante, was a big hit, and I got busy enjoying my stardom rather than planning my career. After all I was very young then, and signed films a bit recklessly. Experience teaches you to be more sensible and discreet.

You seem to be leaning towards more serious films — like Govind’s Takshak
and Mahesh Bhatt’s Shapit. Why this sudden desire to become serious?
If you remember, Mahesh Bhatt’s Najayaz was a serious film. I had never got the kind of accolades I got for that film — both for the character I played and my performance. I had never done a role of substance before that. It set me thinking. And I decided I would do an occasional film like that for self-satisfaction amidst all the masala films. It balances your work and adds variety. It’s not that I don’t enjoy the masala films. I do. But you need a break once in a way.

What went wrong with Itihaas?
It was just an average film. When I saw the first trial, I knew I shouldn’t expect anything great from it. It was just an ordinary film. It didn’t shape out the way we had visualised it. So we couldn’t expect the audience to respond to it.

Before Itihaas, Raj Kanwar had made three consecutive hits, but this one didn’t work. But you can’t blame him for it. It’s not possible for a person to make a brilliant film everytime. Luckily it wasn’t a disaster in Mumbai, where my distribution company had released it. We managed to cover the investment.

From acting you have diversified into production and distribution.
How do you manage all three? Won’t it affect your main preoccupation — acting?
It won’t. That is precisely why I have cut down on my acting assignments. It not only helps me do better work, but also gives me time to look into the business side of films without straining myself. Devgan Enterprises is run by professionals. So there is no hassle.