Twenty five years ago a superstar was born at the box
office. For him it was a fight akin to David’s tryst with Goliath. The lanky,
dark, young actor was pitted against the combined might of Yash Chopra, Anil
Kapoor and Sridevi who looked poised to dominate the box-office with Lamhe. But
instead Phool Aur Kante emerged the surprise winner in this bout. And the
credit went to the charismatic debutante, Ajay Devgn.
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Yes, Ajay Devgn completes 25 years in the film business
and in a conversation with SpotboyE.com, his close friend, director Sajid Khan
gave a sneak peek into the jitters Ajay had before the release of Phool Aur
Kaante and the two defining films that propelled him to stardom.
‘In Our Group, Ajay Was Always A Star’
Can’t believe that it’s been 25 years for Ajay Devgn in
the film industry - does not feel like it. I remember, we were all very excited
with the release of the film. When we saw the trailer, we all knew that the
film was going to work because of the unique story of the bonding between the
gangster father and the renegade son. Plus, the music had become a rage even
before the release of the film. But Ajay was very nervous about whether he will
be accepted. I remember people were clapping for his entry scene, but the real
applause came in the bathroom fight sequence. After the bathroom fight was
over, that was the time when people had more or less accepted him as a new
star. So we did not have to wait for the second half of the film to realize
that the film has worked and Ajay had become a star. 
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In our group Ajay was always a star. The way he used to
walk, the way he used to walk, his Jeep, the way he used to wear his white
shirt, blue jeans and black boots with his Ray Ban glasses and cigarette in his
mouth – screamed style and substance. We always knew that he was going to be a
star but his inclination was also towards filmmaking. Ajay used to assist Veeru
uncle at his edits. His dad used to edit all the action at Ajay Devgn Films. He
knew how to operate a deck and that was a great achievement for a 20 year old.
We knew Phool Aur Kaante will be a hit but we never knew that it would be such
a big hit.
We met through a common friend called Sameer Arya and I
had met Sameer Arya at Javed Saab’s house. We both bonded over films and Sameer
knew that I was very filmi and did mimicry. Later he introduced me to his group
at Kalumal building where Ajay used to stay and then I realized that they were
all part of Ajay’s gang. And later we also realized that we all are in the same
college – Mithibai College. From then onwards, I spent all my days with the
same gang. We were like four five guys. College saath mein jaate the, fir
college ke baad ghumna, masti karna, Carter Road, Bandstand, club mein jaana we
did everything together. We used to meet around 11 at Ajay’s dad’s office and
then used to sit in his jeep and roam around like gundas. We used to go to
college to fool around, no one attended lectures in college. We used to watch
films together and everyone’s cigarette account was in Ajay’s name. Everyone
used to get one packet of cigarette from the Paanwaala who had Ajay’s
account. 
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Phool Aur Kaante was clashing with Lamhe at the box
office and Lamhe was a much anticipated film because it starred Sridevi who had
just delivered the hit Chandni with Yash Chopra. Also Lamhe was a very offbeat
subject. It’s said that had Lamhe released today, it would have been a very big
hit with the multiplex culture. People never expected Phool Aur Kaante to be
bigger than Lamhe. Lamhe was a big film and Phool Aur Kaante was a film that
had newcomers. Phool Aur Kaante had a new boy and a new girl apart from a new
producer. The only thing going for Phool Aur Kaante before its release was the
music. The music had caught on in a very big way. We often discussed this among
ourselves that even if Phool Aur Kaante recovered its money, it would be a big
deal for us. But nobody expected the film to become a runaway blockbuster.
Ajay’s filmi career witnessed two changes which I think
were important changes. The first one was Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. This film got
his action image out and he went from a massy window to a classy window with
family audiences. And much later came Singham. I think Singham propelled him
into superstardom. It was like Salman was always a star but Wanted and Dabangg
made him into a superstar. Singham did that much later in Ajay’s career. Before
that, the kind of appreciation he got and especially the love from ladies for
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam was unprecedented. HDDCS was seen by all and was a
blockbuster. 
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As far as my film Himmatwala is concerned, see my thing
was that he and I were always discussing doing a film together. We met
after Heyy Babyy and then again after Housefull and then again after Housefull
2. Vashu Bhagnani had already signed him. This was around when Singham had just
released and we were talking about what we should do and I said that from my
childhood days I am such a big ‘Jitendra-Himmatwala’ fan, and then Ajay added
that his dad had done action for Himmatwala. And it was then I suggested that
why don’t we do a remake of Himmatwala? Ajay immediately okayed my suggestion
and also added that let’s do a hardcore action film. I am unhappy that somewhere
I let him down; I wish I could give him a blockbuster hit as a friend more than
a filmmaker. But I still think, the way I presented him in Himmatwala was
nothing less than a superstar. None of his fans felt cheated with his
presentation in Himmatwala and I treated him like the superstar that he is. But
Himmatwala’s entire blame should come on me and not on anybody else.
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In his 25 years, the kind of work that Ajay has done and
the kind of accolades he has received, he has also won hearts as an actor of
great competence who can dabble in various genres. He has even done negative
roles in movies like Khakee and Deewangee. It does not feel like 25 years and I
pray and wish for the sake of his fans and that he crosses another 25 with
equal aplomb. In the next ten years I see him successfully moving into a Liam
Neeson category. Here is wishing him another 25 years.
(As Told To Abhishek Srivastava)
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