Our Bollywood Celebrities.
Note: Bellow information is not my own written content. All the information collected from the sources only to make the reader get up-close with our Bollywood celebrities.
Ajay Devgan (Raju & VD)
Actor, Director & Producer
For most of us, it can get impossible to perform a balancing act on two moving motorcycles, but not for the young, talented and eager to make a mark in the industry, Ajay Devgan. He is the son of action master Veeru Devgan. Ajay Devgan brought a different style and raw attitude with him in his debut movie 'Phool Aur Kaante' in the year 1991. His entry became the talk of town and the movie went on to become a hit. In the initial years, he gave some wonderful performances in movies like 'Jigar', 'Dilwale', 'Suhaag', and 'Diljale'. In most of his movies, he was seen as an action figure and people loved him in those roles.
In the year 1998, he was seen in a different role, which earned him critical acclaim and public praise for his performance in the movie 'Zakhm'. His performance also won him his first National Award. A year later, he was again seen in a different avatar in the movie 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'.
The early 2000's saw Ajay Devgan coming into his forte with his brilliant acting which made the audiences feel as if he is actually speaking with his eyes. Such was his control on acting and performance. Movies such as 'Company' and 'Deewangee' saw him earn plenty of awards. Again in the year 2003, he won a National Award for his performance in the movie 'The Legend of Bhagat Singh'. Ajay Devgan kept improving his art by giving many critically acclaimed performances in movies such as 'Raincoat', 'Gangaajal', 'Yuva', 'Apaharan' and 'Omkara'.
He tried to shift from playing action oriented roles to comedy roles with movies such as 'Golmaal: Fun Unlimited', 'Golmaal Returns' and 'All The Best: Fun Begins'. His gamble proved to be successful as these movies did moderate to good success at box office. In between, he gave a chilling performance in a crime oriented movie 'Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai' where he gave glimpses of his younger version through stellar acting. Since then, Ajay is seen in a good medley of comedy and thriller/action movies such as 'Raajneeti', 'Singham', 'Bol Bachchan', 'Son of Sardaar', 'Singham Returns' and 'Drishyam'. Over his long career, he has starred in more than 80 movies and has established himself as a versatile actor who can easily glide into any shoes the directors asks him to wear.
Personal Details
Full Name: Vishal Veeru Devgan
Height: 5' 11"
Weight: 73 Kilograms
Body Measurements: Chest - 42 Inches, Waist - 32 Inches, Biceps - 16 Inches
Parents: Veeru Devgan, Veena Devgan
Siblings: Brother - Anil Devgan Sisters - Neelam Devgan and Kavita Devgan
Spouse: Kajol
Children: Son - Yug Daughter -Nysa
Early Life
Born in a family having roots in the Hindi Film Industry, Ajay Devgan probably had no other option but to set his foot in the Hindi film industry and he chose to be an actor. However, he first completed his studies from Silver Beach School and graduated from Mithibai College before entering the film industry.
Filmography & Acting Career
1990's - The Rise of a Talent
The decade of 1991 to 2000, gave a new talent to Hindi cinema in the form of young, raw and brooding Ajay Devgan. He began his acting career with the movie 'Phool Aur Kaante' and his opening scene of arriving on two motorcycles by balancing himself on them won the hearts of millions. His subsequent movie was 'Jigar' in the year 1992 along with actress Karisma Kapoor which went on to become the seventh highest grossing movie of the year.
For next couple of years, in most of his movies, he was type cast as an action hero. He played the role of an angry man fighting a war against crime in the movie 'Divya Shakti'. Subsequently he played the role of a terrorist in 'Ek Hi Raasta' and a police officer in 'Shaktiman'. He also played the role of a romantic action hero in movies 'Dilwale', 'Suhaag' and 'Vijaypath'. Almost all of the above movies were successful at the box office with 'Vijaypath' being the eighth highest grossing movie of the year 1994.
He had a mixed 1995 with three of his four movies not performing well at the box office. Only 'Haqeeqat' was successful at the box office and became one of the highest grossers of the year. The subsequent year too did not work well for Ajay when it came to his career, as only 'Diljale' did fair business at the box office and earned him some good reviews from critics for his performance as a terrorist.
The year 1997 was the start of a new journey for Ajay who was seen in romantic and comedy roles. The movie 'Ishq' was a huge hit and went on to become the fourth highest grossing movie of the year. He tried to prove his versatility as an actor with the 1998 drama 'Zakhm' which won him a National Award and the 1999 romantic drama 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' in which he played the role of uniting two lovers with much maturity. He was also seen in comedy movies 'Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha' and 'Hogi Pyaar Ki Jeet'. His performances in most of the movies were good and he excelled in each movie.
2000's: The Making of a Star
The decade of 2000 can be said as making of the star Ajay Devgan. Although the initial couple of years were extremely mediocre with none of his movies performing well at the box office, except for 'Raju Chacha' which came in the year 2000. In the year 2001, he was seen in the critically acclaimed 'Lajja' where he gave a power packed performance. The year 2002 changed things for Ajay. He portrayed the role of an underworld don in the movie 'Company' and garnered lot of praise for his convincing performance. He went on to win plenty of awards for his performance. In the same year, he followed it up with yet another power packed performance in the biopic, 'The Legend of Bhagat Singh', where his performance was well received by critics, earning him a National Award. However, the movie did not garner much interest from the audience. His final movie of the year was 'Deewangee' where once again he garnered praise for his stellar act as a person suffering from split personality disorder. Thus, it can be said that the year 2002 was one of the best years for him.
In the year 2003, Ajay was seen in a horror movie 'Bhoot' which was received well by the audiences and then in 'Qayamat: City Under Threat' which was a commercial success. Subsequently, he was seen in an action crime movie 'Gangaajal' where his screen presence was simply brilliant and the movie fared well at the box office. His other movies 'Zameen' and 'LOC Kargil' did moderate business.
The year 2004 was a moderate one for Ajay, as his performance in the movies 'Khakee' and 'Yuva' were appreciated, but the movies fell short of expectation at the box. In the same year, he was seen in yet another critically acclaimed movie 'Raincoat' where he conveyed his emotions exceptionally well, but the movie failed to garner many viewers.
In the year 2005, he again gave some great performances in the movies 'Apaharan' and 'Kaal'. Apaharan got him many awards and Kaal was a success at the box office. In the same year, he also had five flops to his name.
In the year 2006, he was seen in the Hindi adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello, 'Omkara'. Ajay did justice to his character by playing a brooding and compelling title role. In the same year, he was seen in a comedy 'Golmaal: Fun Unlimited' which was a moderate success.
The years 2007 to 2009 were simply forgettable as most of his movies during the three year period flopped at the box office. During this period, he was extensively seen in comedy movies and 'All The Best' and 'Golmaal Returns' were successful commercially. However, not many approved his choice of comedy movies as they preferred to see him in more meaty and meaningful roles.
2010's: Stardom
From the year 2010 till date, Ajay has given many superhit and blockbuster movies. He started the year 2010 with movie 'Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?' The movie went on to become a commercial success. He was then seen in a political drama 'Raajneeti' with multiple stars in the movie. In the same year, he was seen in 'Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai' playing the role of an underworld don. In both these movies, his performance was appreciated by critics, where his looks, acting, dialogue delivery was perfect to the T. 'Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai' went on to become one of the top grossing movies of the year. In the same year, he was seen in the comedy movie 'Golmaal 3' which went on to become the most successful movie from the Golmaal franchise.
In the year 2011, he gave 2 blockbusters, 'Singham' and 'Bol Bachchan'. He was again seen in a comic caper 'Son of Sardaar' in the year 2012 and was a huge hit. The year 2013, did not fare well for him. Both his movies 'Himmatwala', a remake of the yesteryear movie with same name and 'Satyagraha' flopped.
Again in 2014 and 2015, he gave blockbusters 'Singham Returns' and 'Drishyam' respectively, where his performance in the latter was critically acclaimed.
Upcoming movies: Shivaay, Baadshaho
Biggest Hit Movies:
Singham Returns
Drishyam
Golmaal 3
Son of Sardaar
Omkara
Gangaajal
Zakhm
Ishq
Diljale
Vijaypath
Hit Songs:
Maine Pyar Tumhi Se Kiya Hai from the movie ‘Phool Aur Kaante’
Raah Mein Unse Mulaqat from movie ‘Vijaypath’
Ruk Ruk from movie ‘Vijaypath’
Ho Nahi Sakta from movie ‘Diljale’
Neend Churayee Meri from the movie ‘Ishq’
Tum Jo Aaye from the movie ‘Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai’
Omkara from the movie ‘Omkara’
Rani Tu Mein Raja from the movie ‘Son of Sardaar’
Chalao Na Naino Se from the movie ‘Bol Bachchan’
Aata Majhi Satakli from the movie ‘Singham Returns’
Awards
Ajay Devgan has won plenty of awards and recognition for roles that he has played over the years. He has also brought some rough and tough action scenes on screen. Some of the most prominent awards which he has won are:
National Awards
Best Actor for the movie ‘Zakhm’ in the year 1998
Best Actor for the movie ‘The Legend of Bhagat Singh’ in the year 2002
Filmfare Awards
Best Debut - Male for the movie ‘Phool Aur Kaante’ in the year 1991
Critics Award for Best Actor for the movie ‘The Legend of Bhagat Singh’ in the year 2001
Critics Award for Best Actor for the movie ‘Company’ in the year 2002
Best Performance in a Negative Role for the movie ‘Deewangee’ in the year 2002
Apart from the above honours, Ajay Devgan is also the recipient of the prestigious fourth highest civilian award ‘Padma Shri’ in the year 2016.
Controversies
Ajay Devgan had few controversies at the start of his journey in Bollywood where he charmed leading ladies who he was working with. Apart from that, there were few controversies involving his movies as well. Some of the famous controversies that he has courted are:
The Legal Battle with YRF - Ajay Devgan was involved in a legal battle with Yash Raj Films during the release of his movie ‘Son of Sardaar’. The reason for the battle was that he wanted equal number of screens for his movie as compared to Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’. However, the court rejected his plea, leaving him receiving lot of flak for this move.
Earning the ire of Sikh community - During the release of his movie ‘Son of Sardaar’, the promos created a lot stir within the Sikh community for some derogatory scenes and jokes. After a complaint filed against him, Ajay took a balanced stance and removed some scenes from the promos of the movie.
His flings with actresses Raveena and Karisma - During his younger days, Ajay was famous among his actresses especially Raveena at first. The two were apparently in a relationship, but when Ajay met Karisma during one of their movies, he dumped Raveena for her. Similar thing happened with Karisma too when Ajay met Kajol and dumped Karisma for Kajol. However, things are now fine between the three and Ajay had even appeared on Raveena’s show ‘It’s My Life’ and cleared the air.
Other Information
Owns:
Production Company - Ajay Devgn Films
Brand Ambassador / Endorser: Over his long career, Ajay Devgan has done many brand endorsements. Some of the brands which he has endorsed are:
Bagpiper
Bloom Mobiles
Dabur Glucose
Hajmola
Lifebuoy
Mahindra Blazo
Malabar Jewelers
Sirtex Eazy
Vimal Pan Masala
Whirlpool
Recently, along with his wife Kajol, he has been appointed as the brand ambassador for Andhra Pradesh Tourism.
Contribution to social causes: Ajay Devgan has come forward for many social causes. Few of which that caught the attention of the media are as follows:
Working in several nonfiction documentaries and movies which involve a social cause and a social message. He was seen in a documentary about the aftermath of 2005 Mumbai floods titled ‘The Awakening’ in the year 2006. Later, in the year 2012, he was seen in another documentary on female foeticide in India titled ‘Save The Girl Child’ along with his wife Kajol.
Ajay, along with his wife Kajol, supported the Senior Citizens Run for a social cause promoting the community interest of senior citizens.
Official Social Accounts:
Twitter - @ajaydevgn
Facebook -
https://www.facebook.com/AjayDevgn/