Only I could have directed Shivaay, says Ajay Devgn

Ajay Devgn returns behind the camera for the first time since his directorial debut in U Me Aur Hum with Shivaay, the trailer of which he recently launched in Indore. We caught up with the actor for an exclusive chat and got him to tell us why this project is special to him.

Speaking on choosing such a different concept for the film, Ajay says, “I was tired of making mediocre films and I felt the need to raise the bar. I have sacrificed two years for this film and people think that I have lost out on a lot of revenue. But the reality is that I sacrificed it for something I am passionate about.”

Telling us about the film’s marketing strategies, Ajay says, “We have a lot of content that is not shown in the trailer, despite it being very long. The location and the story allowed us the scope to make over 30 posters and all of them were amazing. As for launching it on Diwali, it is a holiday period and there was no other film releasing. I thought it was the right time to release it.” Telling us about why he decided to helm the project himself, he says, “The writer and I had a story that was inspired by a real incident. We worked on it together, but since it was my idea, only I could’ve directed it. It’s an emotional story and the highlight is the screenplay. It’s very close to my heart, primarily because of the hard work we’ve put into it.”

While Ajay seems confident about Shivaay, his last directorial, U Me Aur Hum, wasn’t such a success at the BO. Ask him about the project and he says, “It actually got an amazing response considering the fact that it was an emotional film. It was based on Alzheimer’s Disease, which is something that a lot of Indians still don’t know about. But the film did well in the urban and overseas markets. I still have a lot of newspaper clippings in my office, which speak very positively about the film.”

Shivaay also marks the debut of two new faces as the female lead — Sayyeshaa Saigal and Errica Karr. “They are cast in performance based roles, so it doesn’t matter if they are fresh faces. I am sure that the child artiste in the film has done better than all of us,” says Ajay.

Why did he choose Shivaay as the title “I had that title in mind initially and since the character is a devotee of the God, we decided to go ahead with it,” he explains. “I feel that Shiva is the only God who has flaws and connects well with the youth. To be clear, he is not religious and we aren’t depicting anything religious here, so there is no risk of hurting sentiments.”

While it’s been some time since he was seen on the screen together with his wife, Kajol, Ajay says, “Kajol wasn’t considered for Shivaay because there isn’t any character where she could fit in. My production house is currently working on a film with her and me in the lead and we will start on that project by the end of this year.” After Shivaay, Ajay is gearing up for Golmaal Again and Baadshaho. “I haven’t started preparing for them,” confesses Ajay. “I’m so excited that the Golmaal gang is back and it will be fun to work with them. No female face has been roped in as of now.” Ajay also visited his hometown Attari a day before the launch. “I have never been to my hometown, so it was very strange and emotional trip,” he says.