Calm, composed and confident, Ajay has come a long way. Today Ajay is going great guns. After giving great performances in films like Company, The Legend of Bhagat Singh and Deewangee, Ajay has once again in Bhoot proved that he is an actor par excellence. Ajay talks with SeasonsIndia correspondent Sanyukta about his future plans, career and forth-coming movies.





Excerpts from the interview.


Your performance in "Bhoot' is highly praised? How do you feel?
Great, I feel great. Bhoot is my first supernatural thriller. And performing in it was real difficult. I have tried to do my best whenever I was in front of the camera. I am happy that the audience liked my performance. But then it was actually a joint effort of all who were part of the project. The script was original. Ramu has come up with a great story which is very attention-grabbing, very unusual. And I think Urmila was great in the film.

You have now done two films with Ram Gopal Verma and now you are also co-producing Ek and Murder at Shri Krishna Building with him. Looks like you have become Ramu's favourite.
Well, I wont say that I am his favourite. Its just that we get along well and we understand each other. He has repeated many actors before and actually he is the person who is absolutely in love with his work and he will not let anything get in the way. If his role demands a particular actor he will want that actor to play the role. Filmmakers should follow that rule rather than cast their friends who don't suit the part. That's what I like about him.

Your second release this year will be Harry Baweja's 'Qayamat' and going by the promos, the film looks quite action packed.
Yeah, it is a slick action drama. It has a very interesting story with an action dose. I cant tell you more about my character at this stage. It is great working with Harry. We get along very well and basically understanding plays a huge part in how the film shapes up. Infact this is my fourth film (Diljale, Dilwale and Deewangee) with him and I enjoy working with him. I had a great time shooting for Qayamat.

Lately you have been experimenting with your looks a lot……
I'm not doing it deliberately (grins). Actually in Bhoot I had this French beard and the next thing I know is Ramu liked it so much that he wanted me to have it. If a certain role demands a certain look, I have to make sure that I look authentic enough and try to be as similar to my character as possible. Like in Gangajal I have kept a long moustache. That way I think it makes the character interesting. In Harry's film Qayamat I have two looks, one for the first half and the other for the second half. Thus if you look like the character you're playing, half your job is done. Different looks make the actors interesting as audiences like to see changes. That might restrict you from taking on two films at a time but that's okay with me. I will do one film at a time.

What other films do you have on hand?
Currently I am working on Gangaajal which is an interesting subject about a cop. Then I will be shooting for Khaki where I don't play a cop. Actually I have around eight releases this year- Bhoot (which is already released), Qayamat, Loc, Parawana, Zameer, Gangaajal, Mehbooba etc. I am also co-producing two films called Murder at Srikrishna Building and Ek with Ramgopal Varma. Well all the films are interesting with different subjects. I think the audiences will enjoy them.

Any plans of getting into direction?
I don't think I want to do it now. I am too occupied and for that I will have to take a year off. I can't afford to do that right now.

Last question. Is Ajay Devgan as intense and somber in real life as he is on screen?
Not at all... in fact, I am a fun-loving person. I fool around all the time. Those who know me closely will swear on that. I do not try to look intense it's just that the roles I play demand such kind of intensity and seriousness. And unfortunately the audience and media perceive me that way.