I want to keep working till I die, says Ajay Devgn

Ajay Devgn brings a certain degree of intensity to his performances. Be it the progressive husband of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, the fearless supercop in Singham or the honest Income Tax officer in Raid...here is one Bollywood superstar who allows his smouldering eyes to do the talking. His searing honesty and work ethic give his screen outings a certain edge. And when he discusses his craft, you realise that the actor is passionate about his career though he tries hard to underplay it.

Here are excerpts of an interview with Ajay on the eve of Raid’s release.

You had mentioned to me earlier that there are no genres that define an actor’s career. Comedy follows serious films and so on. Nevertheless, at 48, is there a special focus on the way you wish to take your career forward?

I’m a bad planner, maybe a lazy one (smiles). In fact, I have never been a planner. I follow my instincts. If I hear something and like it, then I do it. If I don’t like it, then I don’t take it up. Whether as an actor, director or a producer, I want to keep working till I die. It is not that I love it way too much, but you want to keep doing your job till the end. Otherwise, you’re mentally-screwed. Having worked day and night for more than 27 years, it’s a balm for me.

When I go on a holiday, I enjoy the first couple of days, then I feel restless.

Do you admit that now your focus has changed? You have become more family-oriented...

I love my children (Nysa and Yug) to distraction. But that is the case with every parent. If you ask any parent in the world, he/she will tell you the same. When children come into your life, the attitude towards your career changes.

You start getting more insecure. When you’re younger, that’s not the case. However, once your kids are in the picture, you analyse every step because you keep wondering if any of your actions will affect them. You want them to be protected at any cost. Even the choice of a film is weighed on the basis of what they will think. You become very conscious and start getting scared.

Obviously, it’s love and caring for the family, not so much for yourself...

Yes, the perspective changes completely. You want to be more stable, you want to see your children and family the way it is. There’s a little insecurity that nothing should not be lesser than what it is today. 

You’re producing a film that Kajol is acting in next. You had also said that the two of you would act together only if you got strong characters.

Yes, both of us should like the script; it has to have two strong characters. The day we hear a suitable one, we will work together. The film, in which Kajol is acting, has a beautiful story. We haven’t heard something like this before. It really touches your heart. It’s about a mother-son and has some humour, too. You don’t make films just for the sake of it, you make one when you find a good plot. For the next one year, I’ve not finalised any production as we haven’t got a great script yet. We’ve been working on the narrative of this film with Kajol for the past three years.

When Kajol is working, how does the co-parenting routine pan out? 

For instance, recently, Kajol had to go to shoot at 5 am. This location is available only on Sundays, so there’s no other option. I love spending time with the kids, I tell them, ‘See, your father takes more care of you’. It’s a lot of fun.

What if Nysa plans on becoming an actress?  Would you allow it?

That’s her choice. 
Today’s generation can only be guided. You can’t tell them what to do, what not to do. Right now, her mindset is that she wants to study. She hasn’t thought about the film industry. Tomorrow, if she chooses to be an actress, I’ll support her. If not films, I’ll support her in whatever else she wants to pursue.

You work with a wide bouquet of directors who have varying styles.  There is rock steady Rohit Shetty (Golmaal and Singham franchises), there’s a Nishikant Kamat (Drishyam), a Raj Kumar Gupta (Raid) and then someone relatively newer ones like Om Raut (Taanaji: The Unsung Warrior). You like to juggle them around?

Rohit and I go back a long way. He is stable and hardworking. And a huge brand. But both of us need to work outside our comfort zone. Working with new directors brings a new perspective. When you’re doing diverse genres, you want to work with different directors. The romcom that I’m shooting for, which is being directed by Akiv Ali, is written by Luv Ranjan. With Raid, I thought Raj Kumar can pull it off, seeing what he has done earlier with Aamir and No One Killed Jessica. Once I started shooting this film, I realised he is very good. The newer lot of makers sees cinema from a different point of view. Their approach to cinema is mint-fresh.

Adding to that, your pick of directors is a happy mix. You also have a Total Dhamaal with an Indra Kumar...

Yes, it’s a good balance. When Indu gave me a narration for Total Dhamaal, I realised he is wanting to speak to a younger generation. His cinematic language is contemporary. 
A lot of directors from the past are fabulously talented. But they haven’t evolved with time. I don’t know why it happens in our country. In Hollywood, filmmakers grow and make good cinema. In our country, they’re like, ‘Arre, yeh toh maine dus saal pehle kiya hai, woh maine bees saal pehle kiya hai.’ They are not willing to change. Maybe it’s because of the chamcha system. Am I wrong?

No, you’re very much right.

They are such fantastic talents. You talk about their work and you wonder what are they doing now. In their hey days, some have made movies ahead of their times. But they are still stuck in that time and not relevant now. You miss them.

Of all the Khans, it seems you’re closer to Salman. When the two of you meet, you appear to be more chilled out.

I guess it’s because Salman and I meet often and we have worked together on quite a few projects. I can connect with him and vice versa. I can tell him anything, I can ask him anything. He also feels the same. And I really love and respect Salim (Khan) saab. I get along very well with him and I treasure the time I spend with him.