“Hope and pray things don’t take a turn for the worse”: Ajay Devgn
The New Year has started on a shaky note for the film industry, and actor Ajay Devgn is expecting everything to improve soon. The actor is keeping a close tab on the developments. “As of just a few days ago, Delhi was put on yellow alert. Other Indian states have indicated new lockdown restrictions. Sources say the Omicron variant may dampen the year-end and beginning of 2022 plans for most people around the globe. This puts all of us, including the entertainment industry, on a back foot. I just hope and pray things don’t take a turn for the worse. People’s health and pockets must not suffer,” says the 52-year-old.
Devgn’s movie, Tanhaji-The Unsung Warrior stays the highest grosser for Bollywood in over two years. It was released in January 2020, exactly when the Covid alarm was spreading across the world. Does he see conditions such as those returning?
“Tanhaji dominated the box office for over two years. There are films that made massive money in the middle of the pandemic, too, so I am hopeful. I would certainly say that yet another film will come along and break records. Why not? If a Hollywood film like Spider-Man can get in massive ticket money, why can’t a Hindi film? SS Rajamouli’s (filmmaker) RRR shows such great potential. Rohit Shetty’s Sooryavanshi raked in around Rs.196 crores in the middle of a pandemic,” says the actor, adding that he is hopeful and has got his “fingers crossed and hands folded in prayer.”
Speaking about his packed slate, he will likewise be seen in a special role in RRR and Gangubai Kathiawadi. Devgn has spent over three decades in the film industry. Sharing what has kept him going for such a long time and he quips, “What keeps me motivated are simple things. Exercise, cinema, family time are all inspiring. Discipline and dedication become a way of life after a point. There are things that are completely out of our control like the current pandemic. However, we can’t afford to be shirkers. We just need to move because none of us can turn the clock back. Time lost is time lost.”
