Since there are other stories to report on besides the OSO, Saawariya releases this weekend we thought we share a bit of an interview that Ajay Devgan gave recently. Ajay Devgan is one of Bollywood’s finest actors and he recently talked about interviews, directing, cooking and being his daughter’s favorite actor.
He has been very busy working on his directorial debut U, Me Aur Hum with no time for cell phones or other projects, “I was busy directing my film, U, Me Aur Hum. My cell phone was off all this while since I didn’t want any distractions. Now that the shooting is over, you’ll again see me doing ads and films. Right now I’m shooting for Sunday and it’s good fun.”
He evidently hates to give interviews, “I’ve always been like this. I’m very lazy. I don’t like giving interviews. It takes me months to prepare myself mentally for one interview. I can’t just sit and talk about anything under the sun. I only talk when I’ve something to say about a film I truly, genuinely believe is good.”
Directing a film is something that Devgan always wanted to do but the decision to direct U, Me Aur Hum was spontaneous: “I always wanted to direct. In fact I became an actor by default. I started as an assistant to Shekhar Kapur and also learnt editing. For U, Me Aur Hum, I came up with the idea, wrote the basic storyline and then got other writers to collaborate on it. I took a spontaneous decision to direct the film. But then that’s me. If I decide something in the night then by morning I do it.”
About the romantic film U, Me Aur Hum Devgan said, “Well, I’ve tried to put in the film whatever I feel deep inside. I hope I’ve been able to convey what I wanted to. I’ve not made a great film but I’ve tried to make an honest film. I think more or less I’ve succeeded in saying what I needed to say in a commercial format. U, Me Aur Hum is not a senseless film. The film involves a lot of fine print. I hope the audience can read between the lines and see the moments within a moment. If not that then I hope they get entertained.”
When asked if he was nervous, “Not at all. I’m always confident about what I do, whether it works or not is not in my hands. In my mind, I’ve managed to achieve what I set out to achieve with U, Me Aur Hum.”
He said that directing his wife Kajol was perfectly normal that “We were not conscious of the fact that we’re married. We worked well.” And who is his daughter Nysa’s favorite actor? Him of course!
Speaking of Kajol recently she revealed that Ajay is a very good cook, “Cooking relaxes me. I can make anything from Chinese to Mughlai dishes. I can even make biryani. I picked it up from my dad. He is a great cook,” he said smilingly.
About his next film Raj Kumar Santoshi’s Halla Bol Ajay said, ”It’s a film where the main protagonist is a star. It’s about his mind and personality in the cutthroat world of films. I just saw the film recently and I think Raj Kumar Santoshi has made a brilliant film. There is a lot of satisfaction I get after doing a film like this. It’s something to be proud of.”
Then in the pipeline is Santoshi’s version of Ashoka, “Raj Kumar Santoshi is planning things. Ashokais a fantastic script. Let me make it very clear that there is no comparison with what was made earlier (SRK’s Asoka). Our film starts after the Kalinga war when Ashoka, the emperor decides to embrace Buddhism and becomes Ashoka, the great. It’s his journey towards greatness.”
In closing Devgan said about directing another film, “Direction is all about inspiration. If I get inspired by another idea, I’ll do it otherwise I’m very happy acting in films with other capable directors.”
We are really looking forward to watching his performances in film in years to come especially in Halla Bol and of course also in U, Me Aur Hum.
