Ajay Devgn

Early life and background

Devgn was born Vishal Virender Devgan on 2 April 1969 in New Delhi to a Punjabi Hindu family originally from Amritsar, Punjab, India. The family has connections to the Hindi film industry in Mumbai. Devgn's father, Virender "Veeru" Devgan, was a stunt choreographer and action-film director and his mother, Veena Devgan, is a film producer. His cousin, Anil Devgan, was a filmmaker and screenwriter. Devgn graduated from the Silver Beach High School in Juhu and then studied at Mithibai College.

Personal life

Relationships and family

Devgn began a relationship with the actress Karisma Kapoor while filming Jigar (1992), however, the couple ended their relationship in 1995. That same year, Devgn's relationship with the actress, Kajol, began whilst they were co-starring in Gundaraj (1995). The media called them "an unlikely pair" due to their contrasting personalities. On 24 February 1999, the couple married in a traditional Maharashtrian Hindu ceremony at the Devgan home. The couple has two children. Their daughter, Nysa, was born 20 April 2003 and their son, Yug, was born 13 September 2010. Devgn and Kajol stored their newborn son's umbilical cord blood and tissues to act as a source of stem cells in case of serious ailment.

Religion

He is a practising Shaiva Hindu who prominently wears a rudraksha which, along with other religious themes, features in his films.

Name change

In August 2009, Devgn changed the spelling of his surname Devgan to Devgn, at the request of his family.

Career

Rise to prominence (1991–1999)

As Devgn entered the film industry in 1991, he changed his stage name from his birth name, Vishal, to "Ajay" due to several other actors named Vishal being launched at the same time, including Manoj Kumar's son. He began his professional career alongside Madhoo in the action romance Phool Aur Kaante, which earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. In his opening scene, Devgn performed a split while balancing between two motorcycles. His next film was Jigar (1992), a Bollywood martial arts film co-starring Karisma Kapoor. It was released on Diwali weekend and became the seventh-highest-grossing film of that year, taking ₹7 crore (US$730,000) at the box office.

In 1993, Devgn starred in Dil Hai Betaab, a film about a revengeful love triangle. He next featured in Divya Shakti and then Sangram, a story of enmity between two fathers. Devgn then worked with Deepak Bahry, who directed the action film Ek Hi Raasta, and with Deepak Pawar, who directed Platform. Other releases that year were Shaktiman, Dhanwan and Bedardi.

In 1994, Devgn starred in Harry Baweja's romantic action film Dilwale. He played the part of Arun Saxena, a man with intellectual impairment. It was the tenth-highest-grossing film of the year. His next release was Kanoon and then Kuku Kohli's Suhaag with Akshay Kumar. The film was about two friends. Devgn played Ajay Sharma/Malhotra. Suhaag was the seventh-highest-grossing film of the year. His next film was Vijaypath. Shooting dates for Vijaypath clashed with those of Karan Arjun which Devgn declined. Vijaypath was the eighth-highest-grossing film of the year.

In 1995, Devgn appeared alongside Juhi Chawla in Mahesh Bhatt's Naajayaz, which earned him his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor, followed by Hulchul directed by Milan Luthria, alongside Kajol. Devgn and Kajol then appeared in Gundaraj which did not perform well at the box office. His next release was Haqeeqat co-starring Tabu. This film was the eleventh-highest-grossing film of the year.

In 1996, Devgn starred in the action film Jung with Mithun Chakraborty, Rambha and Aditya Pancholi. His next release was an action movie called Jaan, with Twinkle Khanna. He then starred in Harry Baweja's film Diljale, where he played a terrorist named Shaka.

Career fluctuations and critical acclaim (2000–2009)

Devgn began the new decade with two biggies, Deewane and Raju Chacha (which he also produced). Both the films opened to mixed critical reception, but proved to be box office flops. The downturn continued in 2001 with all three of his releases, including Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke, Lajja and Tera Mera Saath Rahen failing to do well commercially.

2002 proved to be a key year for Devgn as he starred in three films of contrasting genres. He first appeared in Ram Gopal Varma's Company which was a fictional examination of the Mumbai underworld. The film proved to be a moderate commercial success and Devgn's performance received critical acclaim. As Taran Adarsh reviewed: "Devgn enacts his role to perfection. A controlled performance, the actor takes to this complex character like a fish takes to water. He underplays his part with admirable ease." Devgn's next release was David Dhawan's comedy Hum Kisise Kum Nahin, with Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt and Aishwarya Rai. The same year, he played the role of Bhagat Singh, in Rajkumar Santoshi's biopic The Legend of Bhagat Singh. His performance was well received by critics. Taran Adarsh said, "Devgn has lived the role. To state that he is excellent would be an understatement. His performance is bound to win admiration from audience, besides fetching awards." The film was released on 7 June 2002 and went on to win two National Film Awards, including the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi, and three Filmfare Awards, including the Filmfare Award for Best Film (Critics). Despite these awards, and Devgn winning his second National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance, the film was a box office disaster. Devgn then went on to perform in Anees Bazmee's Deewangee which was partially inspired by William Diehl's novel, Primal Fear. He jointly won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor (Critics) for his performance in Company and The Legend of Bhagat Singh, in addition to receiving his fourth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for the former. For his performance in Deewangee, he received several awards including the Filmfare Award for Best Villain, the Screen Award for Best Villain and the Zee Cine Award for Best Villain.

In 2003, Devgn starred in Ram Gopal Verma's horror film Bhoot, opposite Urmila Matondkar. The film was appreciated critically and emerged a hit at the box office. He then starred in the action thriller Qayamat: City Under Threat with the debutante actress, Neha Dhupia, which proved to be an average fare. Devgn next performed in Milan Luthria's romantic film Chori Chori, opposite Rani Mukherji and Sonali Bendre. This film did not succeed at the box office. Devgn's next release of the year was Prakash Jha's Gangaajal. The film was set in the time of the 1980 Bhagalpur blindings in Bihar. Rediff.com said, "Ajay Devgan pulls up an ace with a part tailormade to reinforce his seething-under-the-surface angry hero image. To his credit (and the director's), he brings style and grace to a largely stereotypical, righteous protagonist. To a great extent, his presence covers up the film's patchiness in the second half." Devgn received his fifth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film. He concluded the year with Rohit Shetty's directorial debut, the actioner Zameen and J. P. Dutta's war film LOC Kargil about the Kargil War.

Prolonged success (2010–present)

In 2010, Devgn featured in the financially successful comedy Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge? with Paresh Rawal and Konkona Sen Sharma. He then featured in Prakash Jha's political thriller Raajneeti. Raajneeti was released internationally on 4 June 2010, after some controversies regarding similarities between actual people and the characters in the film. There were also issues about the use of the national anthem in the film. The film was made with a budget of ₹60 crore (US$6.2 million) At release, it received positive reviews and emerged a superhit at the box office. Again, in 2010, Devgn starred in Milan Luthria's Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, which was among the top-grossing films of that year. Both the film and Devgn's performance were well received by the critics. Taran Adarsh said: "Ajay Devgn is splendid as Sultan. The actor had enacted a similar role in Company, but it must be said that his interpretation is so different in Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai. He adds so much depth to the character, which only goes to prove his range and versatility. This is, without a trace of doubt, Ajay's finest work so far." Komal Nahta said: "Ajay Devgn is simply fantastic in the role of Sultan Mirza. So real is his performance that it looks like he was born to play this role. Right from his look to his acting including dialogue-delivery, everything is fabulous. Indeed, an award-winning performance!"

Devgn then starred in Priyadarshan's action-thriller film Aakrosh which explores the subject of honour killings. Aakrosh received some positive reviews, but was financially unsuccessful. At the end of 2010, Devgn worked again with Rohit Shetty in Golmaal 3, a sequel to Golmaal Returns (2008). Although, like its predecessor, the film received mixed reviews, it was the most successful of the Golmaal series, earning more than ₹169 crore (US$18 million) and emerging a blockbuster. Devgn also worked as an actor and voice artist in Toonpur Ka Superrhero, a live action animated film.

In 2011, Devgn performed with Emraan Hashmi in Madhur Bhandarkar's comedy Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji. He was a narrator in Yamla Pagla Deewana and also made a cameo appearance in Ready. Devgn starred in Rohit Shetty's Singham. Taran Adarsh said: "The title means 'Lion' and Ajay is in the centre of the battle between good and evil. Ajay is well known for the lines, "aataa maajhi satakli". The embodiment of screen masculinity, Ajay enacts the central character of a righteous, hardhearted cop with flourish. He brings alive on screen a larger-than-life hero character with determined conviction, which renders you thunderstruck. One of the few actors who underplays his part admirably, he returns to the over-the-top-action genre of films with this one. In a nutshell, his performance plays a pivotal role in carrying the film to the winning post." Singham earned him his seventh nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. He then starred David Dhawan's action comedy film Rascals.

Other works

Production

Ajay Devgn FFilms (ADF) is an Indian film production and distribution company established by actor Ajay Devgn in 2000. Based in Mumbai, it mainly produces and distributes Hindi films. In 2000, ADF released its first film, Raju Chacha. The film starred Devgn himself as the lead actor and his wife Kajol as the lead actress. Raju Chacha received mixed reviews but grossed Rs 209.2 millions at the box office.

In 2008, Devgn co-produced the drama U Me Aur Hum, which marked his directorial debut. Devgn also played the lead role in the film, sharing the screen again with Kajol. The film was written by Devgn himself and three other writers. Critical reception was generally positive, with Taran Adarsh giving the film 4 out of 5 stars and describing it as "A well-made, absorbing love story that's high on emotional quotient".

In 2009, Devgn released and acted in his home production All the Best: Fun Begins, which was directed by Rohit Shetty and also starring, Sanjay Dutt, Fardeen Khan, Bipasha Basu and Mugdha Godse. The film was released on 16 October 2009 and received positive response from critics. It was rated a hit in India, and is the twelfth highest grossing Bollywood film of 2009.

In 2014, ADF produced Singham Returns starring Devgn and Kareena Kapoor. In 2016 Devgn produced and starred in Shivaay which is to be the most expensive film of his production.

In late December 2017, ADF collaborated with Fox Star Studios to produce Total Dhamaal starring Devgn, Riteish Deshmukh, Arshad Warsi, Javed Jaffrey, Madhuri Dixit, and Anil Kapoor.

In 2018, Ajay Devgn released his first Marathi film production Aapla Manus. A dramatic thriller written by Vivek Bele and directed by Satish Rajwade, it starred Nana Patekar, Iravati Harshe, and Sumeet Raghavan. It was produced by Ajay Devgn, Nana Patekar, Abhinav Shuklaa, Manish Mishra and Rohit Choudhary and released on 9 February 2018. The film was distributed by Viacom 18 Motion Pictures.

NY VFXWAALA

In October 2015, Devgn established a visual effects company, NY VFXWAALA, named after his children Nysa and Yug. It has been involved with many major films, such as Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, Tamasha, Bajirao Mastani, Mersal, Dilwale, Force 2, and Simmba. The company won the Best Special Effects award at the 64th National Film Awards for the film Shivaay (2016).

In the media

Ashwini Deshmukh of Filmfare termed Devgn a "private person" who is self-confessedly uncomfortable around people and said, "Three decades in the industry and Ajay Devgn continues to enjoy the trust of filmmakers and the loyalty of his fans." Ankur Pathak of GQ noted, "Devgn has shown remarkable resilience as a bankable star who has never had to rely on a 'comeback' film since he never really goes off-screen." Sandeep Unnithan of India Today termed him a "versatile actor" and said, "Devgn is a darling of his directors." Rediff.com noted the actor's change from "lanky star son" to "back-to-back hits churner". It further credited him for popularising the "intense, brooding hero" looks.

Devgn is among the most popular and highest paid celebrities in India. He has frequently featured in the Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list since 2012. He peaked at the 10th position in 2018 with an estimated annual income of ₹745 million (US$7.7 million). In 2019, he was placed 12th, with an estimated annual income of ₹940 million (US$9.8 million). He was also inducted into the Bollywood Walk of Fame at Bandra Bandstand, where his hand print was preserved. Devgn was placed 7th in Rediff.com's list of Top 10 Actors of 2000–2010. In Rediff.com "Top Bollywood Actors" list, Devgn ranked 1st in 2002. He subsequently ranked 4th in 2004, 10th in 2006 and 2nd in 2019. In Eastern Eye's Sexiest Asian Men list of 2011, Devgn was placed 29th.