Try and dig out the most scented words from the Oxford dictionary to describe Ajay Devgn, they are likely to fall short.
For a man who etched his presence in Indian cinema with the entry scene in his very first movie, standing atop two motorbikes, and went on to make defiance of the regular his trademark by embracing different genres of cinema, it is all about talent, charisma and aura. He is not one who would follow the trend or seek out commercially safe films to stay relevant. In many ways, he is a maverick living by his own logic and own conviction about cinema.
He exudes machismo with aplomb in testosterone-fuelled movies, and routinely comes a notch higher than all the alphas around. He can be soft and vulnerable when the character needs to be too. He walks seemingly contradictory worlds with rare confidence and grace. To call him versatile is an understatement, he is a genius in his own league.
The range of characters he has played – from titular roles in Singham, Tanhaji, Bhagat Singh to that of an estranged lover in Raincoat, the lovable Gopal in Golmaal, a hassled father in Shaitaan, a coach bent on creating a team of world-beaters from a bunch of underdogs in recently-released Maidaan and more – is a testimony to his versatility and talent. And also to the braveness of Ajay Devgn in making free choices. Unlike most of his contemporaries he is unencumbered by the compulsion to stay commercial all the time.
Ajay Devgn has been the most bankable superstar since the last three decades and when all big stars tasted slump in the post-pandemic phase, he was the sole shining light. He blasted the myth that only high-octane action movies would work in the times of OTT with Drishyam 2, a thriller. He also marked his presence in the OTT space with Rudra: The Edge Of Darkness. It was the most viewed web series at that point.
For his diehard fans like me, his upcoming movies promise a lot of excitement.
Next he’ll be diving into the romantic-musical genre with Auron Mein Kahan Dum Thaa, directed by Neeraj Pandey and Luv Ranjan’s De De Pyaar De 2. Shaitaan 2 is on the cards and Raid 2 is set for a November release. Of course, this is a short list of his upcoming movies. He will be out there entertaining us in his unique way for a long, long time.
Dedication, honesty and humility – there’s something about his work ethics and personality that the new generation can imbibe. He is a maverick, but maverick with a method.
(By arrangement with Perspective Bytes)
