BOLLYWOOD HOLLYWOOD TELEVISION MUSIC ‘I’M NEVER SCARED OF THE OUTCOME’

Actor-filmmaker Ajay Devgn will only direct films that impact him on a personal level; says he does not worry about their success

Actor filmmaker Ajay Devgn (right) does not believe in quantity, but quality of films. The 47-year-old directed his latest film, Shivaay, after a gap of eight years. He says he wouldn’t direct a project unless it “moves him”.

“Firstly, I was busy doing too many films between U, Me Aur Hum, (2008); his last directorial) and Shivaay. Then, whatever story I’m supposed to direct, should first have some kind ofconnection with me. With Shivaay, when I was writing it, I wanted to convey a thought. At that particular time, which was two years back, I was feeling a very strong emotion with children. That is the only form of unconditional love you will find and I wanted to explore something on those lines: the bond between a parent and his child. In this case, between a father and his daughter,” he says. “I still have that feeling. But about two years ago, I got the idea and I started writing down the thought. It was woven into a simple story, but the way I designed it was pretty difficult to make. I wanted it to have a certain impact on the audiences.”

The film, however, failed to make a mark at the box office. Devgn insists that once the film is made, he doesn’t worry about the outcome. “I’m never scared about that. If anything, I am anxious to see how people react, and that’s it.”

For Shivaay, Devgn worked with 13-year-old British actor Abigail Eames and 28-year-old Polish actor Erika Karkuszewska. Casting, Devgn says, is very important. “It took me one year to crack the casting. If it’s a performance oriented script, then one should focus on the casting from the script’s point of view. In this case, the script demanded foreign actors and that’s how we went ahead with Abigail and Erika,” says Devgn.