Meet the charismatic Bollywood actor, who is one of the highest-paid stars and reportedly charged a whopping Rs. 35 crores for his eight-minute role in a film.
There are many leading men in Bollywood who, over the years, have swooned the hearts of millions with their romantic personas on screen. However, there are some actors who proved their versatility with daredevil stunts. They take an action film to another level with their power-pack performances.
The lead actor in question, who captivated the hearts of millions with his charismatic personality, is Ajay Devgn. With a career spanning three decades in the industry, Ajay continues to earn the loyalty of his fans. Popular for his intense and brooding hero looks, Ajay is the darling of his directors. He is not just a bankable celeb but also one of the highest paid actors in India. In this article, let us look at Ajay Devgn’s rise to fame and some unknown aspects of his life.
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Do you know that Ajay Devgn’s real name is something else? Yes, you read that right. The handsome actor was born Vishal Veeru Devgan and changed it to Ajay Devgn before his debut film. Once, in a throwback interview, Ajay revealed why his name was changed before his big debut and revealed that while he was making his debut, a few other actors too were being launched with the same name, Vishal, and one of them was actor, Manoj Kumar’s son. So to avoid confusion, he changed his name.
Born in a Punjabi family to stunt choreographer, Veeru Devgan and his wife, Veena Devgan, Ajay was destined to be an actor. Before becoming a leading Bollywood actor, Ajay Devgn started his career as a child actor in the film, Pyari Behna and played the younger version of Mithun Chakraborty.
Ajay was always drawn to action scenes, and since a young age, he helped his father by editing difficult action scenes. Ajay never really wanted to be an actor, as he never thought that he had the quintessential Hindi film hero’s looks. However, Ajay’s father, Veeru Devgn, who himself wanted to be an actor, encouraged his son to fulfill his dream.
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Ajay Devgn made his acting debut in 1991 with the action-romance film, Phool Aur Kaante, opposite Madhoo. The film was a hit, and Ajay’s intro scene performing a split while balancing between two motorcycles is still considered iconic. Later, with films like Jigar, Dilwale, Suhaag, Diljale, Ishq, Major Saab, Pyaar Toh Hona Hi Tha, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Golmaal, Singham, Drishyam and many more, Ajay has proved his versatility as an actor.
His ability to convey his emotions through his eyes has earned him a lot of applause over the years. Ajay is not just one of the most sought-after actors, but he also performs the majority of his daredevil stunts on his own. In 2022, Ajay Devgn left everyone shocked when the reports of him charging Rs. 35 crores for his brief role in RRR hit the headlines.
The actor, who appeared in SS Rajamouli’s RRR for eight minutes, charged a whopping sum of Rs. 35 crores, which means his per-minute appearance was Rs. 4.5 crores. For his full-fledged appearances, too, Ajay reportedly charges the same amount but also takes a 50 percent share in profits. For many films, his fees exceed Rs. 100 crores.
Apart from his professional life, Ajay’s personal life has often hit the headlines. He was linked with many leading ladies of Bollywood in the initial phase of his career. Ajay Devgn and Raveena Tandon’s affair was a hot topic during the 90s. Rumours have it that Ajay and Raveena were in a steady relationship, and he dumped her for Karisma Kapoor. Though Ajay never accepted dating Raveena, she accepted the same, which led to a public war of words between the two.
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It was reportedly during the making of the film, Jigar that Ajay and Karisma Kapoor grew closer. They were quite serious about each other and were reportedly set to tie the knot. However, things didn’t work out between them, and they broke up.
Ajay and Kajol’s love story began with a chance meeting. The duo met for the first time on the sets of their first film together, Hulchul, in 1995. After the film's lead actress, Divya Bharti, passed away, Kajol made the last-minute entry into the film. Ajay didn’t like Kajol initially as they were completely opposite to each other. However, during the shooting, the two became good friends and soon started dating.
Kajol decided to get married to Ajay at the peak of her career. The news shocked everyone as their personalities were completely opposite. Critics had labelled them as an ‘unlikely pair’, many had commented that they would not last because of their contrasting personalities. Even Kajol’s father was a little sceptical about her getting married to Ajay. In 1999, the duo got married in a Maharashtrian style and are now parents to two adorable children, Nysa and Yug.
With more than 100 films and a three-decade career, Ajay Devgn is one of the most loved actors in Hindi cinema. From action, romance, comedy, and thriller, he has dabbled in every genre and did complete justice to all his roles.
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