Did you know Ajay Devgn assisted director Shekhar Kapur on his film Dushmani?

Ajay Devgn became a reluctant actor while his heart was and is in filmmaking

Ajay Devgn started editing films from the age of 8 and 9.

Ajay Devgn's love and passion for filmmaking is known to all. His film U, Me Aur Hum and Shivaay brings his behind-the-camera-love on to the screens. In fact, the actor with a phenomenal knowledge of filmmaking was one of the first to introduce Bollywood with Computer Graphics. Well, the actor admits that it becomes difficult for him to resist his inner director while he is acting. In an exclusive interaction with mid-day's Sit With Hitlist team, the Golmaal 4 actor revealed his passion for the art and some more details about the craft.

He said, "I was 8 or 9, when I started helping my father with editing movies; and action were the most difficult sequences to edit back then. By 12-13, I had started making my own films. My father had bought me a camera. I used to do a lot of special effects, create my own sets by the time I was 15. Later, he would even send me to shoot for certain portions [like in Rekha's film Madam X, 1994]."

Assisting Shekhar Kapur happened by chance, while Ajay Devgn was enjoying his college life. He narrates the incident, "Once, while I was shooting at home on a Sunday, Shekhar Kapur dropped by, saw me take some shots — [I had] created a crane shot by taking the camera up at a certain angle, which he thought was quite innovative — and he had me over as his assistant [in Dushmani, and a few commercials]. I was also enjoying college, after which I would go and work with Shekhar."

Ajay's father, Veeru Devgn, who is a renowned fighter in Bollywood, always wanted his son to be an actor because his father came to the city with the dream of being an actor. However, he flourished as one of the best action masters. Ajay took his first film's offer very casually and did it with no aim of staying in the acting industry for a long time because his heart lied in filmmaking.

"One fine evening, I came home to find [director] Sandesh Kohli sitting with dad. My father had always wanted me to be an actor, train in action. He told me that Kohliji was doing a film [Phool Aur Kaante] and he wanted me to be in it. My first reaction was, "Are you mad? I am 18, enjoying life." I flatly refused it. This was in October, 1990. By November, I was shooting — practically pushed into it. I did my debut film with the attitude that if it works, good. I will work very hard. But if it doesn't work, I won't roam around with a portfolio. I'll go back to filmmaking. But the film worked. Ever since, there hasn't been any time to sit and think," concluded Singham.

Read the entire interview here.

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