30 years of Devgn-ism: Evolution is key to sustenance, says Ajay Devgn on his three-decades in Bollywood

The actor describes his journey as a ‘terrific’ one and that the mistakes he made along the way helped him grow as an artiste

Three decades ago, Ajay Devgn rode into Bollywood and the hearts of cinephiles in style in a scene that he’s still best remembered for. Standing tall astride two moving bikes and finishing off in a perfect split, Phool Aur Kaante introduced India’s answer to Jean Claude Van-Damme’s jaw-dropping skills. Ajay’s career trajectory, in the years since, has seen its fair share of highs and lows. In a chat with Hindustan Times about his years in the industry, the actor says that he’s just warmed up for his next three decades in films.

Evolving constantly, said Ajay, is the key to sustenance in any field, something he has followed in his career. Being in showbiz, he reasons, is a never-ending learning process that requires one to be open to pick-up survival tips every day. In doing so, over time, not only does one mature in age, but in the quality of one’s craft as well, he says, adding that his three-decades in Bollywood have been terrific - a mixed bag of countless mistakes and home runs.

When asked if he knew he’d frow to the stature that he is at today back when he was just starting out, Ajay said it was his father, action director Veeru Devgan’s dream to launch him as an actor. “Back then, I was young, immature and unprepared for stardom and just did what I was told,” reminisces the actor, adding that stardom came with a lot of hard work, but also the blessings of his parents and fans.

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As for the iconic motorcycle scene from his debut film, the actor says that it was a moment of complete madness. Although Ajay seemed his confident best astride the bikes, the actor admits that he was a bundle of nerves while shooting the scene. He adds that dangerous action scenes make him nervous to this day. He also recalled that no safety nets or body doubles were used at that time. “It was a leap of faith; these moments happen, you don’t make them happen”, the actor concluded.

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