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The versatile actor
Ajay Devgan effortlessly strode through variety of roles without making a fuss about his versatility.
In Raincoat, he plays a man from Bihar who during a visit to Kolkata decides to look up his old sweetheart.
It's the kind of role not too many actors would think of taking up, let alone plunging into for less than half their normal fee. But that's Ajay Devgan for you.
Quietly accomplished...and quite accomplished! He first made his screen appearance astride two motorcycles in Kuku Kohli's Phoo Aur Kaante. Since then he has learnt to effortlessly stride different kinds of cinema without making a song and dance of his versatility.
If on one hand he plays the smirking villain to vamp Aishwarya Rai in Khakee, on the other hand he's equally at home playing her shy lover from the past in Raincoat.
His directorial roster includes everyone from Prakash Jha to Kuku Kohli. True, he doesn't have the support of the Chopra-Johar group of powerful filmmakers in Bollywood. But Ajay has managed to make his place without depending on the brand-name directors.
"I don't put labels on films and directors. To me every film I do is important. And whether it's Prakash Jha, Mani Ratnam, Ram Gopal Varma or Kuku Kohli, I value every assignment. But let me clarify. My life and career don't depend on one project."
The easygoing attitude is seen as a part of Ajay's don't-care-a-damn career strategy. But that he doesn't care about his profession is a fallacy. He cares. But he doesn't believe in playing games of one-upmanship.
"What's mine will be mine. What isn't was never meant to be," he mumbles.
