When it came to taking on a role made famous by Mohanlal, Ajay Devgn had his own ideas. Firstly: Don’t watch Mohanlal’s take.
Nishikant Kamat’s Drishyam, out in the UAE on Thursday, is a Hindi remake of the Malayalam film of the same name — and Devgn, 46, says he hasn’t seen the original.
“Drishyam is about the character of a common man who has got a lot of shades. He shows a visual which is deceptive and manages to practically con the whole police force.”
The murder mystery set in Goa also stars Shriya Saran and Tabu, who plays a policewoman searching for her son — who she believes has been killed by Devgn’s character.
“I’ve not seen the Malayalam film. This is my take of the character because Mohanlal is a fabulous actor and I didn’t want to get into his shoes.”
Here’s what else the actor, coming up to his 25th year in the industry, had to say on the eve of his latest release.
He doesn’t expect Drishyam to do Rs1.5 billion (Dh85.9 million) business
“I am sure it [Drishyam] will do well. With today’s market, changing the box office [fate] of such films depends on word-of-mouth. We are not expecting this film to do Rs1.5 billion. This film is made in a limited budget and if it does decently and covers the cost it’s good. If the budget is big then it is a problem.”
He believes in word-of-mouth
“As a star, there is a pressure that you need to have a certain collection, but as an actor, the day I get a script with which I don’t have the pressure, I don’t have to bother how the film is going to perform as word-of-mouth is going to be strong. I do it. When you are sure that the film is so nice that word-of-mouth is going to be strong then you decide to do the film so there is no insecurity. Otherwise, there is always insecurity of how it will perform.”
He’s missed serious roles
“I was missing it in a way. There was lot of demand for it. A lot of people asked me why I am not doing films like Zakhm, Company, Gangajal, Omkara. [Drishyam] is a brilliant film. With the kind of films and image I have on screen, if I would have played a weak character then the audience wouldn’t have accepted. But in this film this man is fighting and winning. He is beating, not physically, but mentally with his brain. He confuses the whole police force and how he does it is extraordinary.”
Bollywood and southern cinema aren’t competing
“I don’t understand why we divide south and north as it’s one film industry and one country. Remakes of south films have been made in Bollywood. But it’s not a one-sided thing as in the south also we have had remakes of Bollywood films. So it’s a nice exchange of literature.”
His dad inspired him to go behind the camera
“I’m in front of the camera [in Drishyam], but I like being behind the camera, also. That’s what I’m doing in Shivaay. I feel more comfortable when I’m behind the camera. It comes easy to me because as a child, I’ve always been working on that side as a technician’s [stunt choreographer Veeru Devgan’s] son.”
Competition between Shivaay and Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil starring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, and Anushka Sharma on Diwali 2016
“It’s a fair call. There would be multiple occasions when two films will release together. We have enough theatres. If everything is divided well, I think both films will work or whichever with a better script, will work. In that way, clashes urge everybody to work harder. It has its minus points, but we can’t resist it. I’m not afraid of it. I’m happy, I love clashes. It helps me work harder. We are all friends. We all have our own zone and space where we feel comfortable working in. Ultimately, there has been so much of work in the industry and I’ve been working in it for almost 25 years now.”
On 25 years in the film industry
“I don’t even realise that it’s been 25 years. Good times fly too fast and today also I feel like I just started yesterday. My journey has been fabulous and so smooth that I haven’t realised it at all.”
