The smart hatter

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The smart hatter

Monday, 25 February 2019 | Saimi Sattar

The smart hatter

Actor Ajay Devgn dabbles in comedy with his latest film, Total Dhamaal, but is equally at ease in other genres, says Saimi Sattar

Ajay Devgn has found quite the spot. While the rest of the cast of Total Dhamaal is cooped up inside a hall in a hotel, he has a small set-up just outside, open to the sky, which is certainly pleasant given the weather. “Oh, that’s because I smoke,” he says with a laugh and one can’t help but notice a pack of cigarettes lying prominently on the table. As is wont, I try to put on the recorder on my phone for the interview while Ajay narrates that he was born in Delhi but does not know much of it, even as I keep fiddling with the device waiting for it to switch on. When I confess that it has frozen, Ajay asks me if he can help and tries to, but clearly the app has a mind of its own and won’t succumb even to the charms of a celebrity actor who has more than a hundred films to boot. Casting it aside, I decide to go the old fashioned way and jot down what he says.

Ajay explains that the film is called an adventure comedy as there is hardly a moment where the cast is in a situation which cannot be classified as an escapade. “Except for one court scene with Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit, the entire cast is either  mid-air or in water or in trouble. It has an Indiana Jones like feel,” says the actor who rode astride two bikes into collective national conscience with Phool Aur Kaante in 1991 for which he got the best Filmfare Male Debut Award.

However, it is Ajay’s funny bone that has given him huge career hits and is on display in the third installment of the Dhamaal franchise. “The content in comedies is what makes you laugh. That depth has been there in the Golmaal series. Making people laugh is not easy in general. Add to it the fact that you can’t tickle them twice with the same joke, the humour loses punch. So the content has to be fresh. Then as performers, after the gag has been written, it is also essential to understand how much to stretch the joke, the appropriate amount of energy needed to perform it and also an understanding of when and how it can nosedive if not executed well. Some jokes need a poker face and others need a lot of action,” says the actor who in the initial years of his career was known for his intense and action roles. However, Ajay made a transition and can dabble in different genres with seemingly equal ease. “If you aren’t classified, that is the best place to be in as an actor. If I did one genre all the time, that is what is likely to happen. I keep on reinventing myself which keeps me going. In fact, I would say I do not understand a genre. What I understand are the characters and I play them. Guddu in Total Dhamaal doesn’t know the genre. He knows what he has to do and does it,” says the actor.

The seamless switch between the characters is not surprising given his avid interest in world cinema. However, Ajay points out, “I do like to watch world cinema but you need to be in the mood to do so. If you are viewing it with someone, they need to identify with that kind of films. Plus, even when watching it alone, you need to be in a certain frame of mind. However, when you go out with friends or family, it is more likely that you would opt for something which is a comedy or is light-hearted.”

Talking about why formula or big stars are no longer a guarantee of success as was obvious from the flops that most of the major stars had to face last year, he says, “Actors now need to know that they can no longer fool the audience. Earlier, it was possible to work around with the same formula but it is not happening any longer. Charisma won’t work until the content is good. Besides, the audience, which is more educated and exposed to different experiences now, is more discerning and is constantly evolving.” That’s what he misses for two milestone performances of his career. “If I did something like Zakhm (1998) today or for that matter Raincoat (2004), the audience would have been more receptive and appreciated me better. Both the films got a lot of critical appreciation and were praised but the box office collections did not really match up. Today, they would have got the money too,” he says.

For somewhere who has traversed a wide arc of creativity, filling out different characters, he has his keen eyes on the script as well as his instincts to invest each role with originality. “I played a gangster in Company and then repeated it again in Once Upon A Time in Mumbai but no one can say that the characters were similar,” says the intelligent actor.

Ajay is starring next in De De Pyaar De, which is scheduled to release tentatively around May this year. Also on the cards is Neeraj Pandey’s Chanakya where he embodies the role of the political thinker, economist and royal advisor. Another historical that he is producing and starring in is TanajiThe Unsung Warrior. “My reason for taking up Tanaji is primarily because I liked the script. He was a great historical figure and sacrificed a lot but many people in Maharashtra and most outside have not heard of him. This makes our effort to bring his story to the big screen worthy,” says he. However,  many historicals have invited the ire of self-appointed censors of history. So does he fear controversies? Reasons Ajay, “The problem with our country is that it is really diverse and one group or the other might find something offensive. The final say should be that of the court if there is any difference of opinion and people should just go with the verdict.”

A connected citizen, Ajay has taken a clear stand on issues. When #MeToo rocked the Hindi film industry last year, he wrote on his Twitter handle, “I’m disturbed by all the happenings with regards to #MeToo. My company and I believe in providing women with utmost respect and safety. If anyone has wronged even a single woman, neither ADF (Ajay Devgn Films) nor I will stand for it.” And he makes no bones about it even now and says, “We respect women. We always believed in this. If two people are involved and it is consensual we are no one to judge them. But it should not be forced.”

On another issue, that of nepotism that keeps on making a buzz in the industry time and again, Ajay says, “It is not as if other people do not get chances. They do. If you are connected you do get an initial shot at it but then you have to prove yourself. Ultimately it depends on whether the audience likes you or not.” Incidentally his daughter Nyssa is not interested in films at all and he says that she does not have an aptitude for the medium. “She is studying in Singapore,” he says.

Recently, Ajay and his actor wife Kajol promoted a Unilever campaign called StartLittleGood to spread awareness about proper recycling of plastic. “I’ve been aware of global warming. I have been obsessed with being environmentally conscious at home. I am that person who is teased constantly by his sisters for putting off lights and fans when not in use,” he says. Clearly, he does like to dabble in a whole lot of things with equal ease.

Photo: Pankaj Kumar

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