This hero will be Ajay

HE looks like he’s stepped out of the pages of teenage romance: tall, dark, handsome and aloof. In his latest starrer, Major Saab, he looks all the more distant and restrained, but for those flashes of anger in the so-called "action scenes"...

Major Saab presents Ajay Devgan in sharp contrast to his abiding image of an action hero, much like Akshay Kumar and Sunil Shetty. Here, while sharing the lead with Amitabh Bachchan, the original angry-young man of Hindi cinema, Ajay is rather cerebral and introspective.

In effect, he is now being recognised as an actor of substance, rather than a mere action hero. The transition had begun even earlier, with Indra Kumar’s multi-starrer, Ishq, in which he played the conventional lover boy with Kajol, Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla.

"I had got tired of the label of being another action hero," says Ajay. "There is much more to acting than performing stunts and throwing your fists about. So I stopped signing such films. I might have lost out on a lot of work but now, Ican look at what Iam doing with satisfaction".

Son of Bollywood’s best known stunt-master Veeru Devgan, Ajay had got easily typecast with his very first film, Phool Aur Kaante in which he was required to perform acrobatics on moving cars and motorbikes, besides other mind boggling stunts and routine bashing up the baddies.

"I overdid the fun, violence and craziness," he recalls. "But I was young and new to films then. In real life too, Iwas very violent. Ilacked control over my temper, but Ihave gained it now. The streak is still there, but I control it. I guess I am more mature now."

Little wonder, he comes across as a recluse. He doesn’t have many friends and is seldom seen at film parties and public functions. He is not one to hobnob with the media either and can be painfully shy when cornered for an interview.

He attributes this to plain laziness. "To get noticed, you have to blow own trumpet," he explains. "I would have to speak about myself and my work constantly. That’s something I cannot do. What matters to me is that my fans appreciate my work."

He also admits to going slow on signing films. "I can’t work round the clock and am already doing two to three shifts. I want to enjoy my work, not get bogged down by it. Iwant to do films that excite me, no matter whether people take me to be an out-of-work actor."

Ajay is far from being unemployed. What he does not talk about is his foray into production, following the launch of Takshak with Govind Nihalani as director. He has also completed Pyar To Hona Hi Tha, based on the Hollywood hit, French Kiss.

Ajay points out that much as he is playing the lead in both these films, he has also been "creatively involved" in the production. This has been interpreted by the media as interference in direction, especially in the just-released Pyar To Hona Hi Tha.

"I’ve heard about this," says Ajay. "I do not fancy being a ghost director for any film. Anees Bazmi is director of Pyar To Hona Hi Tha and I must say, he is a very capable man. When I directed a film, I will announce it to the world."

He nevertheless admits that he had to direct a "sizeable chunk" of Major Saab when Tinnu Anand fell ill for a few days in Pune. "I would put that on the trust the director had on me," he explains. "But Iam not one to interfere in direction or for that matter, offer my services."

Does that means he has his sights on being a director some day?

"I will not over-rule that possibility," he declares. "Right now I am still learning the ropes. My father has been in the industry for the past 40 years and he too has been educating me. The day I feel confident,I will direct my own film."

Meanwhile, watch out for his starrer, Pyar To Hona Hi Tha!

Attagirl! Asha

For the first time in the history of Indian cinema, the government has appointed a woman to head theCentral Board of Film Certification, better known as the film censor board.

Asha Parekh assumes charge from Shakti Samanta, the veteran film producer who has officiated as censor chief for close to a decade. The appointment comes with immediate effect.

Reactions to this appointment have been mixed. Film makers who have been dealing with Parekh in her capacity of chairperson of the Cine Artistes’ Association, find her a tough, uncompromising person when it comes to protecting the interests of cine stars.

At the same time, there are others who fondly recall the days when Parekh was a top ranking actress who used to donate much of her earnings in charity and had even set up a hospital in Mumbai.

But then, nobody is questioning the appointment of a lady as the censor chief since vulgarity has become a major issue because of several ambiguities in the censorship guidelines.

The general impression had been that a male censor chief cannot be level-headed while dealing with physical exposure, sexual innuendos, vulgar dances and the like.

More often than not, aggrieved producers have had to seek relief in courts of law, thereby leading to avoidable delays in film release and unnecessary expenditure.

Parekh, with her reputation as a disciplinarian, yet sensitive towards the problems of film makers, is expected to be less controversial than her predecessors.

She would, however, continue to head the Cine Artistes’ Association and be making soaps for television. The job as censor chief is in an "honorary capacity", for which she will draw no salary.