Ajay Devgn is just back from a relaxing fortnight in London where he did “nothing at all”. “That’s exactly why I go to London for holidays. I just chill. I wake up by 11, work out for two hours. So, my day would start around 2pm and end by 1am. Friends and Martinis…that’s what this holiday was all about.” Ajay the Martini man? You seem more like Mr Single Malt, one tells him. “No, no… I am a vodka guy. I love my vodka Martinis.”

Now that that’s cleared, it’s time to talk about Drishyam, Ajay’s forthcoming film directed by Nishikant (Force) Kamat. The whodunnit is a remake of the Malayalam blockbuster of the same name. After playing over-the-top characters in films like Singham, Golmaal and Son of Sardaar, Drishyam takes Ajay back to the intense and performance-oriented space that’s garnered for him a legion of fans and many Best Actor trophies.

But Ajay insists Drishyam’s Class IV fail cable operator Vijay Salgaonkar is no different from the tough cop Bajirao Singham who delivers one-liners and punches with equal ease. “I feel Drishyam’s character is a lot like Singham, without the action. Here also, my character is fighting for what is right, but without beating anyone up. He is not a weak character. In his mind, he is a Singham.” 

t2 found Ajay in a rare talkative mood over breakfast — a bowl of masala egg bhurji — at his Juhu office in Mumbai. 

What about Drishyam caught your attention?

It was the script. There is a lot of pressure being an actor and a star. You do some films because you don’t want the insecurity of whether a film will open well or not. Even if a film is bad, but the collections drop only on the third-fourth day, you are still safe as a star. Films like Drishyam are not your typical Bollywood masala... so you know that they won’t open well so you shy away from such films. But then you hear a script that is beyond any Bollywood insecurities. This script made me feel like this was a risk worth taking. Even if the film doesn’t open big, word-of-mouth will carry it through. Both the Malayalam and Tamil versions of this film have been superhits, but they didn’t open well. Also, I realise that the audience has evolved and is more accepting of newer ideas and subjects. Promoting a film like this is tough, though. 

Why?

With a film like this, you don’t know what to put out in the trailers. It’s a thriller, so you can’t give away too much. Most Bollywood films can be promoted over two months because you have four songs and a trailer coming out. Music makes a big difference in how a film opens. Good music makes people go to watch a film. This film doesn’t have all that. Like the film (Piku) that had Amitji (Bachchan) and Deepika (Padukone), when they were promoting it, no one knew what to expect. After the first two shows, the film started picking up. 
We had two shows for test audiences in Mumbai and Delhi and we got an extraordinary rating. Everyone said they didn’t realise the film was this good after seeing the trailer. That’s the problem. Drishyam’s trailer is not exciting — it doesn’t have punchlines, great songs, locations or over-the-top action sequences. So when you see the trailer, you don’t know what to expect from the film. 

Recently you were quoted as saying, ‘We have our entire life left when I can do films for creative satisfaction’. So, what drives you to do a film today?

Okay, I didn’t mean that the films that I do don’t give me creative satisfaction. To entertain the audience gives me a lot of satisfaction. As an actor and star, you have to find a balance between what excites you creatively and what would probably entertain the audience. You need to do both kinds of films. The audience’s mindset is changing, so even the regular masala films need to be intelligent today. Smaller, content-oriented films have started doing well, so that gives you hope as well. Otherwise, why would you do a film that the audience will not go and watch?

As an actor, is it easier to do a Drishyam or a Golmaal or a Singham?

It’s easier to do Drishyam. If you really believe in a character, it becomes easier to play him. That doesn’t happen in a masala film. There you are playing a superhero, who is also a common man. One minute you are a brilliant dancer and the next you have to be a comedian. There are times when you wonder what you are doing. You can go from doing a very emotional scene to a song. It’s very easy to get confused. In films like Drishyam, the character is a certain way and there is a reason for why he is the way he is. Through the film, the decisions he makes are consistent with who he is. So, once you get hold of the pulse of the character, you are sorted. 

What was director Nishikant Kamat’s brief to you about playing this character who is an Everyman?

The first thing Nishikant told me was to stop working out. My character is not physically but mentally very tough. So, I put on a little weight and I wear full-sleeve shirts and loose trousers. He said I have a very menacing way of looking at people (laughs), so he asked me to tone that down. The first two days of the shoot were tough on me. It’s not like I intentionally look menacing or intense, that’s just how I am. Once I managed to control that, it was smooth sailing. I connected with the character immediately like a family man would. The instinct to protect your family is very relatable. 

Did you watch the original?

Nope.

Why? 

I didn’t want to get influenced at all. Mohanlal is a brilliant actor, so I didn’t want to know what he did. If some bad actor had done that film, I might have watched it! (Laughs) I didn’t want to copy him even subconsciously. 

Now that you have finished filming, would you watch the Mohanlal and Kamal Haasan versions?

I don’t know. I feel too lazy to watch my own films! (Laughs)

Did the failure of Action Jackson make you reassess your career?

It was during the making of Action Jackson. I won’t blame Prabhu (Dheva, the film’s director) completely. When we were starting the film, we realised that it was similar to Dhoom:3. So last minute, we tried to change the script. We delayed the film by three months. But it all got messed up. If I hadn’t done the film, the producer would have lost a lot of money. While we were shooting, I knew it wasn’t working, but there was nothing I could do. 

Kajol is now shooting Rohit Shetty’s Dilwale with Shah Rukh Khan...

Yes… and she is so happy. I am happy because she is happy. She didn’t know if she’d enjoy the process of making a film again, but she is. 

She is a hands-on mom. So are you splitting parenting duties now that she is making a film?

Nope. She is not letting me! She is carting my children everywhere she goes. I told her to let me take care of the kids (Nysa, 12, and Yug, 4) but she is not letting me. She is leaving again soon (for Bulgaria) and she is taking them with her. Thankfully, the kids have holidays so they are going be away for 20-25 days and I am going to be home alone. 

Why will you watch/ not watch Drishyam? Tell t2@abp.in