Why Ram Gopal Varma never worked with Ajay Devgn after he worked in films like Singham

Ram Gopal Varma has explained in a new interview why he stopped working with Ajay Devgn after Ajay worked in films like Singham.

Actor Ajay Devgn, early in his career, was known for his intense roles. Ram Gopal Varma made his name doing gangster films. Together they delivered films like Company. In a new interview, Ram explained why he decided never to work with Ajay again.

Ajay Devgn and Ram Gopal Varma are best remembered for their film, Company.

It may be recalled that Ram and Ajay have worked in a number of films together. While Company remains their most prominent work, Ajay was part of his 2003 film Bhoot and 2007's Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, which was a disaster at the box office.

In an interview to BollywoodLife, ahead of the release of his film, D Company, Ram explained his point of view. He said: “When I had made Company, Ajay Devgn was not a big star so it worked, but after Singham and all those films, if you put Ajay Devgn into such a subdued role like Company, I don't think it'd ever work. So, I take that into consideration, especially for genre films. Of course, you might get a bigger audience with stars, but that'd be at the expense of not being honest to the film.”

Explaining further why casting Ajay in D Company was not an option, he said that while his character of Dawood Ibrahim needed subtlety, audience would only want to see Ajay in it. He said: “When casting, the most important thing one needs to keep in mind is the believability of the character. Dawood Ibrahim was a man who at the age of 25 was almost like behind his brother, he never, upfront, pushed himself. Slowly, over the course of time, he developed that (taking centerstage and making his own decision). So, I have to keep that emotion in mind while looking at these factors during the casting process. Now, though he's not 25, Ajay Devgn for me as an actor may be so powerful that to underplay this character would look very stupid in the film because the audience would want to see his very first shot with excitement — that's the image he's developed over the years, that's what is called a star.”

D Company, written and directed by Ram, will release on March 26. Ram was recently in news for his interaction with Kangana Ranaut on Twitter over his appreciation for her work in Thailaivi.