Ajay Devgan Birthday Special: The Brooding Hero Who Continues To Fight The Corrupt System
The year was 1991 when Ajay Devgan, probably the most unconventional looking Bollywood hero, made his debut with Phool Aur Kaante. While India was still wondering how a man who looked nothing like the boy-next-door, Hindi film industry’s favourite ‘type’ can get a Bollywood launch vehicle, Ajay had already found box office success. Twenty eight years later, the man has not only survived but has beaten his contemporary, Akshay Kumar, to the tag of the country’s favourite aam aadmi hero.
Sounds like an oxymoron? We suggest you check out Ajay’s filmography, which is rich with characters who stand by their principles and against a corrupt, heartless society.
As the actor turns 49 today, he is achieving yet another milestone -- his film Raid is about to enter the Rs 100-crore club. The movie, that also stars Ileana D’Cruz and Saurabh Shukla, has already earned Rs 94.19 crore within three weeks of release.
To Ajay’s fans, Raid’s Amay may sound similar to Bajirao Singham or Gangaajal’s Amit Kumar he is the lone crusader fighting the corrupt system without fearing for his family or his safety. At times, he fights his battles with his fists; in other films he stays strictly within the purview of the law.
However, through all of them, he is the brooding man who draws comfort from his beliefs and never wavers from the path he considers right. Be it Raid or Aarakshan or Satyagraha or Shivaay or Singham, Ajay’s characters are helpful and humane, but they also nurture a clear angst towards either the society, his own family or sometimes the almighty! It is to the credit of Ajay who has managed to make every single one of his characters stand out and yet capture the Zeitgeist.
The actor known for his action roles in the 90s changed his image with the arrival of the 2000s. While there were intense roles such as Zakhm and Omkara, comedies like Golmaal series and Son of Sardaar, Ajay largely came to be known for his role as crusaders who stand for their principles. More often than not, his characters are middleclass, live in a reality far away from glitzy cities and their aspirational lifestyle. They inhabit the Indian heartland and are rooted in patriarchy, something that helps people living in small towns easily identify with them.
The hero, as portrayed by him, may be on the side of the law or against it but will always be justified morally. “The fact that the audience has evolved gives us a lot of leverage. Earlier there were times when we had a subject, but couldn’t make it because the audience didn’t like it. Now due to the exposure, people have started liking different subjects. The audience knows what is happening across the globe and it widens our horizon as well,” Ajay had said at the time of promoting Raid.
From Gangaajal (2003) to Apaharan
(2005) and Halla Bol (2008), Ajay’s recent roles can also be seen as vigilantes who are passionate about rectifying the systems of his country and society. Does that sound similar to what Akshay Kumar does with his films like Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty and Gabbar Is Back?