Two actors who had their hits and misses and became saleable stars but never had tags like “King” and “No. 1” attached to their names are prime examples of how titles don’t matter. Ajay Devgn became a star with Phool Aur Kaante in 1991. The same year, Akshay Kumar turned full-fledged hero with Saugandh. But names do matter. Vishal became Ajay Devgn (a spelling suggested by his mother) and Rajiv Bhatia became Akshay Kumar. A rose by any other name and other such platitudes be damned. They battled odds that would’ve stumped most and came out trumps with modified screen names and spellings. Ajay’s production banner even has a double “f” in Ajay Devgn Ffilms.
Both Punjabi mundas have been in the Top 10 for over three decades and counting. They have a large fan following and a loyal producer-base but neither Ajay nor Akshay has been a craze like Rajesh Khanna or Shah Rukh and Salman.
Yet, they have steered their careers with more acuity than, say, Shah Rukh and Salman, who are like the Amitabh Bachchan of the late 80s. That was when he’d clung to youth, had pranced around with young heroines like Manisha Koirala and Shilpa Shetty (Laal Badshah), and had done pathetic movies like Gangaa Jamunaa Saraswathi, Toofan and Jaadugar with the same filmmakers who’d once made sparkling commercials like Zanjeer, Namak Halaal and Amar Akbar Anthony with him.
Curiously, insolvency came to AB’s rescue when his ambitious company ABCL (aka AB Corp) went south. But as we all know, the twist in his tale came with his “Yes” to hosting Kaun Banega Crorepati (2000) for the lucre offered, a great way to pull himself out of the red. The combination of KBC and Mohabbatein brought AB back into the reckoning. Professionally and financially, he still stands on a perch of his own.
This is where Ajay and Akshay have handled ageing with more grace than several others. Akshay is two years younger and Ajay is four years younger than the 65-born Khans. But they outgrew their youthful “Khiladi Kumar” and “Riding on 2 Mobikes” macho-giri long ago. Alongside Housefull and Golmaal frivolity, they began to be seen in substantial roles. Unlike Ajay whose worth and range as an actor were recognised early in films like Deewangee and Singham, Akshay was considered a handsome hunk who got lucky. But the man who relishes a good challenge turned script and variety savvy with a vengeance. Airlift, Rustom, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Gold, Padman, then Kesari, Mission Mangal, Housefull 4 and Good Newwz all in the same year. True, the golden run hasn’t prevailed since the pandemic with duds that began with Laxmii and Bell Bottom and continued with Atrangi Re, Samrat Prithviraj, Cuttputli, Raksha Bandhan, Selfiee, Ram Setu and more. But there was an assortment still on his platter. Lately, there has been grudging appreciation too, and not just for his patriotic cinema (Sky Force, Kesari 2). Akshay’s Khel Khel Mein didn’t fare well in theatres but OTT watchers welcomed it as an instance of the actor staying age-appropriate and serving variety. Traits that help an actor run the marathon. Perhaps Akshay only needs to be seen less frequently for a longer run.
For Ajay, ageing has been effortless. On a casino-cruiser where we watched Money Money, a song by Honey Singh for Devgn’s new film Raid 2, Ajay strode across the screen only as a stern and solid IT officer. He didn’t stomp all over the casino set where Money Money was shot. “I don’t do what I can’t do,” he said to me. On transitioning to age-commensurate roles, he said, “The most interesting characters today are being written for senior actors here and in Hollywood. Look at Tom Cruise.”
While an actor shouldn’t fight shy of his age, he cannot become podgy and heavy-footed either. The ever-fit Ajay and Akshay are, by the way, still slimmer than their heroines.
Bharathi S. Pradhan is a senior journalist and an author