Ajay Devgn is back to doing what he does best in Drishyam — an intense role — after having weathered criticism for his last release, Action Jackson . Excerpts from the interview:
You have taken on a performance-backed role after quite a while.Are you confidentDrishyamwill work?
Whether we accept it or not, as stars, we are always under pressure to deliver. Blame it on the hype, the media or the Rs. 100-crore race, we tend to become wary of films such as Drishyam that don’t necessarily promise a huge opening. But when a film like this comes along, you just know that it must be a part of your life. People often ask me why I don’t act in a film like Zakhm any more. My reply is that I haven’t heard of something as convincing. I haven’t listened to a story that immediately makes me say, ‘Yes! I will do it.’ While such films don’t always open well, they pick up with word-of-mouth. I am not at all worried about the fate of Drishyam . I just want to ensure that audiences watch it.
Mohanlal’s performance in the original must have been tough to match.
I haven’t watched Mohanlal’s performance purposely, because he is such a fabulous actor. Both of us have different styles, and our body language is different. Besides, our version is more oriented towards Hindi film audiences. In Drishyam , I didn’t really ‘act’. I told Nishi (Nishikant Kamat, the director) that when I feel a scene from the bottom of my heart, I don’t need to perform. I am just there…in the moment.
Did you miss acting in films likeDrishyamwhile you were doingmainstream blockbusters?
Of course, I missed it, but as I told you, the opening day insecurities played out. Many have questioned if my loyal audience would come to the theatres to watch me in this film. I am not playing a typical hero. But the leading man in Drishyam is not weak; he is fighting a common man’s fight. Audiences don’t accept Ajay Devgn playing a weak character. I have a set image and breaking it is very difficult.
The new crop of talent focusses on factors like hype, social media and their image. Do you think in the long run their strategywill pay off?
Hype and publicity may work temporarily, but only hard work pays in the long run. How do I speak to someone who says that if I attend this award function I will get an award? I might win the prize but then how do I sleep at night? I choose to work on my own terms, and if that doesn’t work, well, so be it.
Today’s generation is different; while deciding on a film, they are very professional. In the long run, that might be a good thing.
You are investing a lot of money and time inShivaay , which you will also be directing. Are you confident about it?
Nobody is ever completely confident, but I believe in it. Shivaay is simple as a script, but it plays out on a scale that hasn’t been attempted in Hindi films before. We begin the shoot next month. It’s a very different film with a lot of actors from abroad. We will be working in temperatures below 30 degree Celsius and in difficult terrain. The action directors will begin rigging for action sequences that we plan to shoot in January from September onwards. This year has shown that multiplex audiences have grown in numbers and have also become more demanding. I am happy about it. But the challenge is to entertain them in a different manner. For the smaller films to work, you also need mainstream blockbusters. Look at an Iron Man film or the Avengers — they are a completely different experience. With Shivaay, I want to work towards something like that — a mainstream entertainer that goes beyond four songs, some comedy and romance.
What do you think went wrong withAction Jackson?
When we started Action Jackson , I knew the film wouldn’t work. I don’t blame Prabhu Deva for that. Our bad luck was that after we had put up the set and were about to begin shooting, we realised the story was similar to Dhoom 3 . Prabhu tried his best to revamp the script, but we still went ahead with it as the producers were incurring losses. It was an emotional decision, but I wouldn’t want any producer to face such losses.
Kajol returns withDilwaleopposite Shah Rukh Khan in a Rohit Shetty film. Are you happy that she’smanaged acomeback?
I am very happy because she is very happy. Kajol is quite talented. If we weren’t, we wouldn’t have survived for 25 years.
