Be it the Singham of Bollywood or Drishyam of Bollywood, one name stays common. That is, Ajay Devgan. He is not just an actor but also a film director, producer, and fitness icon of Indian cinema.
Today we shall look at the career journey of this giant superstar of the Hindi film industry and how he rose to fame. Fasten your belts because Ajay Devgan’s Rise To Fame is a ride like no other!
Early Life
Ajay Devgan was originally named Vishal Veeru Devgan at the time of birth. He was born to a Punjabi family on 2 April 1969. His father Veeru Devgan and mother Veena were both well-connected with the insiders of the Bollywood industry. Ajay’s father was a stunt choreographer and action-film director during his days. Ajay’s mother was a film producer.
Ajay Devgan’s brother Anil Devgan has also been active in the industry as a screen-writer and filmmaker. Its safe to say that entertainment and media runs in the blood of the Devgan family.
Ajay Devgan’s early education was done in Silver Beach High School in Juhu and then he moved to study further at the famous Mithibai College.
Entry To Bollywood
We know Ajay Devgan as one of the most popular and influential actors of Hindi cinema with a large fan following. He has appeared in over 100 Hindi films to date. But have you ever thought of the name of Ajay Devgan’s debut Bollywood movie?
In 991, Devgan began his professional acting career with the movie Phool Aur Kaantey. His acting was well-receoved by the critics and the audience alike. For this, he also received the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. Such strong performance in a debut movie was magical.
Originally named Vishal, he had to change his name to Ajay. Why? This was because there were many other actors and artists by the name of Vishal at that time and he wanted to stand out and build a personal brand for himself. This is why he chose ‘Ajay’ to be his on-screen name and the rest is history.
In 992, Ajay Devgan appeared in another movie titled Jigar, a Bollywood martial-arts films. He co-starred with Karishm Kapoor in that film and Jigar went on to become the seventh-highest-grossing movie of that year.
Ajay Devgan Gets Big In Bollywood
After proving his prowess, he started to land bigger projects. After Jigar, Ajay Devgan was seen in Dil Hai Betaab, Divya Shakti, Sangram, Ek His Raasta, and more.
In 994, Ajay Devgan’s movie Dilwale ranked among the Top-10 biggest grossing movies of the year. He played the role of Arun Saxena, a man with intellectual impairment. Similar, another movie Devgan starred in titled Vijaypath went on to become the eighth-highest grossing film of the year.
Getting bigger and bigger with his achievments and shattering his previous personal records, then came the time for ‘Ishq’. This is by-far one of the most loved movies of Ajay Devgan to date. In Ishq, Ajay played the role of a rich kid who falls in love with a poor girl. The film was the fourth-highest-grossing film of the year with ₹30 crore (US$4.2 million) collection.
Devgan was also the first-ever Bollywood actor to own a private jet for transport to shooting locations, promotions and for his personal trips. He certainly had a wild ride of fame and money with the all the blockbusters he had been giving to the industry.
Ajay Devgan’s ‘Unlikely Pair’ With Kajol
In his second movie with Karishma Kapoor named ‘Jigar’, the two struck a romantic bond and they started dating. However, things did not work out and the relationship ended 3 years down the line, in 1995.
In 1995, the same year he had broken up with Karishma Kapoor, he began a relationship with his co-star, Kajol Mukherjee, on the sets of Gundaraj. They were labelled an ‘unlikely pair’ by the fans and the media because they had two completely different personalities.
Fast forward to 24 Feb 1999, this unlikely pair got married to each other in a traditional Maharashtrian Hindu wedding ceremony. Today, Ajay and Kajol have two children, Nysa Devgan and Yug Devgan. Their daughter was born in 2003 and their son in 2010.
Awards And Honors
In 2016, Ajay Devgan was honoured with Padma Shree, the 4th highest civilian honour by the Government of India. In his career span, he has won many National Film Awards for Best Actor and also the Star Screen Award for Best Actor.
Devgan was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award for his film Company in which he portrayed the role of a gangster named Malik. He won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for the movie. He played the role in Bhagat Singh’s biopic titled ‘The Legend Of Bhagat Singh’ and the film received three Filmfare Awards, including the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie. It also fetched Ajay Devgan his second National Film Award for Best Actor.
Ajay Devgan, with his immense passion and caliber for acting, has reserved a special place for himself in the history of the Bollywood industry. He is an unsung gem of Hindi Cinema.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.