Ajay Devgn: Lesser known facts

Ajay Devgn receives CII Excellence Award in Cinema

Known to be one of the finest actors in Bollywood, Ajay Devgn has many awards in his kitty. Yet again, the actor was honoured with the CII Excellence Award in Cinema, in New Delhi. While speaking at the 4th edition of the CII Big Picture Summit 2015, Ajay clarified that he does not have any plans of joining politics and also spoke about the recent Bihar rally, which went out of control. The Drishyam actor tweeted that he felt honoured to have received the award.

Read on to know about what Ajay has to say about Mohanlal...

'I didn’t want to get into Mohanlal's shoes'

Ajay Devgn is gearing up for the release of his film, Drishyam. In an interview with IANS, the actor has been quoted as saying that, “In Drishyam, I’m in front of the camera, but I like being behind the camera also. That’s where I’m going to be seen in Shivaay. I feel more comfortable when I’m behind the camera. It comes easy to me because as a child, I’ve always been working on that side as a technician’s son." The actor, who will return to direction with Shivaay, completes 25 years in the industry this year. But when he looks back, he says, "I don’t even realise that it’s been 25 years. Good times fly too fast and today also I feel like I just started yesterday. My journey has been fabulous and so smooth that I haven’t realised it at all." Talking about Drishyam and reprising famous Malayalam actor, Mohanlal's role, Ajay says, "I’ve not seen the Malayalam film. This is my take of the character because Mohanlal is a fabulous actor and I didn’t want to get into his shoes."

Read on to find out as to how is Ajay Devgn gearing up for his directorial...

Ajay Devgn goes location searching for his upcoming Shivaay. The Singham actor is off to explore Bulgaria, hoping to find a good location for his upcoming and reports also say that he will be promoting Bulgaria tourism. “The Bulgarian Tourism Ministry has been really supportive to me and my team. To show our appreciation, I will be lending a helping hand to promote Bulgarian tourism. It’s a great initiative”, said Ajay Devgn. Interestingly, Devgn’s better half Kajol, is also in Bulgaria with Shah Rukh Khan and Rohit Shetty shooting for her next, Dilwale. Since both wifey darling and close friend Rohit are in the same country, it wouldn’t be a surprise to find him on the sets of Dilwale. Being such a successful and talented actor, Ajay Devgn hasn’t been to an award function in 15 years! Read on to know why…

On Ajay Devgn’s 46th birthday on April 2, his sister-in-law, actress Tanishaa Mukerji took to photo sharing website Instagram and shared a special picture of her with her beloved brother-in-law, Ajay and sister, Kajol. The picture where Ajay is cutely holding the two sisters seems to be a decade and a half old. Ajay Devgn has been married to Tanishaa’s sister, Kajol for almost 16 years now.

Read on to know some lesser known facts about the actor…

According to a report on Mid-Day.com, Ajay Devgn will give a special treat to his fans on his 46th birthday. The Singham of Bollywood will unveil the logo of his next flick, Drishyam on Facebook and Twitter. Slated for a July release, Drishyam is the remake of Mohanlal’s hit Malayalam film with the same name and also stars Shriya Saran and Tabu.

Until the first look of Drishyam is out, check out some lesser known facts about the birthday boy...

He's an actor par excellence whose career in Bollywood, spanning over two decades, has established him as one of the top stars in his own right. A father, actor, director and producer, Ajay Devgn is known for his intensity, action sequences and his comic timing. Married to actress Kajol, he's blessed with two kids. While fans may think they know their favourite actor, there are some interesting facts about Ajay that are lesser known. On his birthday today, we bring you tit-bits from Ajay Devgn's life.

Born as Vishal Veeru Devgan, he changed his name to Ajay Devgn for the Hindi film industry. Ajay's father Veeru Devgn is a well-known stunt choreographer and his mother Veena Devgn is a film producer. Ajay changed the spelling of his surname from Devgan to Devgn on the insistence of his family. He was born in Delhi, but studied at Silver Beach High School and went to Mumbai's famous Mithibai College. Has a cousin brother called Anil, who is also a producer. Ajay played a cameo in Anil's film Haal–e–Dil. The two are often mistaken to be real brothers.

Ajay made his debut in Phool Aur Kaante in 1991, but is mistaken for child artist Master Chotu who appeared in the film Pyari Behna in 1985. Interestingly, Ajay was the first choice for Rakesh Roshan's Karan Arjun where he was considered for Salman Khan's role. Even in the film Darr, after Aamir Khan refused to play SRK's role, Ajay Devgn was considered for the part which eventually went to Shah Rukh Khan. He made his directorial debut with wife Kajol in the film U Me Aur Hum.

According to a report on koimoi.com, the actor was allegedly dating Raveena Tandon, but apparently left her for Karisma Kapoor when he fell madly in love with her. The report further states that Raveena and Ajay had many spats regarding this, but finally seemed to sort out the issue. He was also reportedly linked to Kangna Ranaut as per several media reports, and allegedly when things turned ugly, he distanced himself from her.

Ajay met his future wife Kajol on the sets of Hulchul but only started dating her during their second film Gunda Raj. They were termed as an unlikely couple due to their contrasting personalities. According to an interview in The Tribune, Devgn was quoted saying, "We never resorted to the usual 'I Love you,' routine. A proposal never happened. We grew with each other. Marriage was never discussed, but it was always imminent." Ajay is known to be a prankster on sets. He is also known for his stunts and action in his films.

While he did the critically acclaimed film Zakhm opposite Pooja Bhatt, the duo was also meant to do Girvee which was supposed to be directed by Mahesh Bhatt. But the film got shelved after 20% of the shooting was completed. The story of his films being shelved does not stop here. It is alleged that a film called Singer starring Ajay Devgn was completed, but never saw the light of day due to its producers being implicated in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blast case. In 1999, Devgn was to star in Feroz Khan's Qurbaan Tujh Pe Mere Jaan along with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Fardeen Khan, but that film too got shelved.

According to an interview in Hindustan Times, Ajay said that he feels all awards in India are rigged. "You know how the business operates, it’s a money making thing. They have to sell the function to the TV channel, promising that big stars will turn up. So, whichever star says they’ll come and perform, gets the award. I haven’t been to an award function in 15 years. Even Aamir (Khan) doesn’t go. They are such a farce,” he was quoted saying in the interview. Has won 3 Filmfare awards and has been nominated several times. Ajay considers himself to be lucky as he did not have to struggle in Bollywood, except for putting in some hard work. He derives strength from his parents. In an interview to The Times of India, he said, "My parents are my source of strength, especially my father. He worked very hard and my mother showed me the right way. Upbringing is very important for children. Also, a person of strength is one who makes the right decision at the right time and can stick to it." Ajay enjoys films from the 1970s (Hindi). He would visit Jeetendra on the sets of the original Himmatwala (1983).