Ajay Devgn

The Man Who Rode In on Two Motorcycles

Two motorcycles speeding along and a young man with his legs spread, leaning on their seats. That image of 1991 in Phool Aur Kaante irreversibly marked Ajay Devgn's entrance into the industry.

The son of stunt director Veeru Devgan, young Vishal (his real name) was not looking for the glamour of magazine covers. But fate forced him to change his identity to avoid confusion with other debuting actors of the era.

And the gamble paid off.

Critics took time to look beyond his physical stunts. Artistic recognition came with Zakhm in 1998, where his restrained performance earned him his first National Film Award. Before that role, many considered him simply a mass-appeal action star.

The Weight of the Gaze

Devgn builds his strength on silence and on eyes that seem to process everything before speaking. In 2002, he played revolutionary Bhagat Singh and again won the national award for best actor for his ability to convey political fervor without shouting.

But his real commercial transformation came when he teamed up with director Rohit Shetty. Together they explored comedy and over-the-top action, moving away from the intense drama that defined his first ten years in the business.

The Golmaal series, launched in 2006, let him poke fun at his own tough-guy image. Even so, international audiences often remember him for Singham in 2011, where he played a police officer of unshakable morals who grossed over 1,500 million rupees at the box office.

Because for him, cinema is a matter of endurance.

In 2015, he starred in Drishyam, a thriller that became a cult phenomenon thanks to its meticulously crafted screenplay. In 2022, he repeated the success with the sequel, grossing over 3,400 million rupees worldwide and proving that his name sells tickets without needing constant dance numbers.

Cameras, Effects & Management

As a producer and director, his work is less loud but just as ambitious. In 2016 he directed Shivaay, an action film shot in Bulgaria that stood out for a technical level unusual in the Bombay film industry. He then decided to invest much of his capital in NY VFXwaala, his own visual effects company.

Unlike his contemporaries, Ajay Devgn does not need constant approval from the press. Married to actress Kajol since 1999, he keeps a low profile off the film sets and avoids Mumbai's high-society parties.

The year 2024 was a real test with the release of Maidaan. In this sports drama, he played coach Syed Abdul Rahim, moving away from choreographed fights to focus on the physical fragility of a sick man during the golden era of Indian football.

It's all technique and calculation.

In 2024, he appeared in Singham Again, the franchise's biggest-budget installment up to that point. For the shoot of Raid 2 in 2025, the production scheduled locations in London and several cities across India. The estimated budget for this latest project exceeded 1,000 million rupees, not including international promotion costs.