Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn’s action film, Shivaay, has almost been lost in the political cacophony that has sprung up in the run-up to its release.
Suddenly, the National Award-winning actor has had to play political commentator, giving “diplomatically correct” opinions on the cultural boycott of Pakistani artists in India, an issue that has seen Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, which releases on the same day as Shivaay, take the lion’s share of the headlines.
His observation? Not many journalists care about the story of Shivaay, out in the UAE on October 27, or why it merits a watch.
“It is painful. You don’t feel like doing interviews. It makes you wonder if you are doing interviews to comment on what’s going on around the world, or are you there to talk about your film?” Devgn said in a phone interview with tabloid! .
“You are under pressure, not to speak too much [about political issues] … But I just spoke my heart out. I don’t want to keep harping on about it though,” said Devgn, who has directed and acts in Shivaay.
He returns to direction eight years after his 2008 romantic drama U Me Aur Hum. The ‘it’ that he is referring to is his stand on the ban of Pakistani artists in Indian films following rising tensions between Indian and Pakistani armed forces. Producer-director Karan Johar’s ADHM ran into trouble for employing Pakistani heartthrob Fawad Khan, casting doubt on whether it would even get released.
Naturally, Devgn was asked to give his opinion on whether a filmmaker should be penalised for hiring talent from across the border. In an interview with the Indian news channel CNN-IBN 18, Devgn said that he supported his country during the time of armed clashes. His words? “There is an exchange of bullets happening and you are talking about exchange of culture? We cannot isolate ourselves from the nation.”
While Devgn has made his stand on that issue clear, he wishes that the focus would be on his current film. Months of hard work to put together death-defying stunts against the snow-clad Balkan mountains in Bulgaria weren’t easy.
So what’s Shivaay all about?
“At the core, Shivaay is an emotional drama. It’s a love story between a father and a daughter. The only unconditional love that you feel in your life is the bond that exists between parents and their children. This film answers to what extent a father would go to protect his child and how a child would react in such a situation.” His search for his daughter forms the spine of this action thriller.
In Devgn’s eyes, Shivaay matches Hollywood films such as the Die Hard series and Meryl Streep and Kevin Bacon-starrer The River Wild, by following their trail of having a strong family story as its nucleus.
“Die Hard is an action film but it also has a couple in a broken marriage and how they come together. The base of that film is a family drama. In The River Wild, you have a broken family whose son thinks his father is a loser, but towards the end they realise that they are willing to give up their [lives] for each other ... Even in Shivaay, the father is pushed into a situation where he needs to show how far he can go in life to help his daughter. There’s conflict and a do-or-die twist there.”
Real-life conflicts
Devgn, son of the legendary action director Veeru Devgan, who has choreographed action sequences for more than 80 Hindi films, and husband of popular actress Kajol, also believes that conflicts in real life are a revelatory experience, pointing out who your genuine friends are.
In September, Devgn famously accused Johar — his wife’s former best friend — of nepotism that involved paying a movie critic, Kamaal R Khan, to slam Shivaay. While the controversy is in limbo (the critic has denied the allegations), Devgn isn’t a fan of self-proclaimed critics and it’s believed that Kajol has snipped ties with Johar, who directed her in hits including Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and My Name Is Khan.
“You can’t just become a critic when you have no experience on how to criticise a film. It’s a specialised job. When everyone turns around and becomes a critic, then the credibility of those genuine critics are also questioned,” said Devgn.
“90 per cent of the critics don’t know the difference between a good location and good photography. Why don’t those people who call themselves critics identify themselves as an audience … Calling yourself a qualified critic is like an actor and director claiming that he’s the president of a country,” said Devgn.
He dreams of a world where it’s his films and his stunts that are analysed, rather than his stand on global issues.
The star, who acted in blockbusters including the hit Singham series and Son of Sardaar, even created a nearly four-minute trailer, hoping that he would ensnare his viewers with just that.
“No matter how much you promote a film or do multiple interviews, the first impression created in the minds of the audience is the final call. The audience is too smart these days. Just like Hollywood, I wanted Shivaay to be a showcase ... But in our country, we have to promote the songs, the teaser, the trailer, the film ... That whole process is wrong. Why can’t we end the chapter with just a trailer release?” said Devgn. Bollywood stars are notorious for overzealous promotions before a film’s release. Mall visits, college campus visits and appearances on TV shows are a given.
Devgn wants to keep Shivaay’s promotions slick and snappy, just like his film.
But what took him so long to return to direction?
“I was too busy acting in films. U Me Aur Hum was a small film about a couple dealing with Alzheimer’s. People who understood the disease loved the film. But those who didn’t get it did not appreciate it. I am OK with that ... I started as an assistant director before turning into an actor. From the age of 12, I was acquainted with editing and photography. I am not saying I am qualified to be a director, but I go by instincts when it comes to directing.”
It’s safe to say that Devgn was on unsteady footing with a romantic drama like U Me Aur Hum, but when it comes to action films, he is on top of things.
“You can call me a proud Indian today. The kind of responses that I got for my stunts have been mind-blowing. Many people from Hollywood has called me to ask how I managed to do some of the action shots. There’s a belief that we [Hindi films] can’t do what they can,” said Devgn.
His dream is to match steps with Hollywood action films and give the Indian audience some spectacular scenes. In the past, Bollywood films have been parodied for amateur action. But all that’s going to change, claims Devgn.
“I decided to put everything into Shivaay and not charge a penny as an actor. So that is where it made a lot of difference. If you really work hard then you can achieve what you want. Imagine I have Rs10 [50 fils] as my budget. In Hindi films, you give Rs5 to the actor and the rest goes into the production. But I put in Rs10 into the film and it will show in Shivaay.”
Don’t miss it!
Shivaay releases in the UAE on October 27.
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