The ninth episode of Koffee with Karan Season 8 sees Bollywood’s Singham Ajay Devgn grace the couch along with his long-time collaborator, Director Rohit Shetty.
The highlight of the episode was when host Karan Johar got a ‘shock’ after he asked Ajay about his ‘sworn enemy in the industry’ and the actor, who seemed to be at his spontaneous best, replied, ‘Once upon a time, you.’
Mohnish Singh brings us highlights from the episode.
The Clash
Karan begins by asking Ajay what he was feeling when his debut film Phool Aur Kaante clashed with Yash Chopra’s Lamhe at the box office.
Devgn’s reply: ‘I don’t know. I think when you are young, you don’t think about all these things. As a newcomer, I had no choice in deciding the date of the film also.
‘My attitude at that time — when I started work — was, you know, you are carefree at that age. Hua to hua, nahi hua toh kuch aur karenge, and fun attitude.
I remember Anilji (Kapoor) met me, very sweetly. He was being very honest. He said, “What are you doing, man? Tell your producer to not come; Lamhe is such a big film,” obviously with such a big star cast with Yashji. I said, “Sir, it’s not in my hands”.’
And when the film released, he said, ‘Tune meri…‘, Devgn ends the story with a laugh.
The ‘Proper Blockbuster Movie Story’
KJo asks Rohit about his father, who was a legendary actor and stuntman in Hindi films. He passed away when Rohit was just eight or nine.
Recalling the struggle that he and his mother went through, Rohit says, ‘Things were difficult after that. Till the age of 16, we had a lot of struggles. And then I joined him (Ajay Devgn) when I was 17.
‘My mom was also a stunt artist. That’s how my mom and dad met. He was doing well, so she had stopped working.
‘But after he passed away, there was a financial crisis at home, so she started working as a junior artist. She did that for the longest time, till I started working. And after that, it’s like a proper blockbuster movie story.’
The Journey of a 13-Year-Old Boy
When KJo asked Ajay if he feels his father, celebrated action director Veeru Devgn, got the due that he deserved in the industry, the actor answers, ‘Eventually.’
‘When he started, he was pretty young. He ran away from his house, his hometown in Punjab when he was just 13. He came to Mumbai without a train ticket and was taken behind bars,’ Ajay reveals.
The actor adds that his father had to work as a carpenter and also as a small-time gangster before he eventually became a stuntman.
‘He did not have work, so no food. Somebody told him, “You wash my cab everyday, I’ll let you sleep in the cab”.
‘He started from there and eventually became a carpenter and then became one of the gangsters in Sion Koliwada (north central Mumbai). There were these kind of gang wars. One day, a very senior action director, Mr Ravi Khanna, was passing by and a street fight was going on. He stopped the car and called my dad after the fight. He asked him, “What do you do?”
‘My father said, “I am a carpenter here.” He said one very nice line, “Ladta bahut accha hai. Come and meet me tomorrow.” And he made him a fighter. So that’s where he started from.’
Nepotism
Rohit reveals that his father had a similar story, as he came to Bombay from Udupi when he was just 13 and worked in a restaurant before joining films. Devgn adds that people don’t realise that generations have worked very, very, hard to reach where they have.
‘The struggle is the same for everyone and you have to work hard. Everybody has to do that.’
Revealing how both his ankles are broken, the Golmaal actor says, ‘People don’t see that part of you, your hard work. They just think, “Oh, they get everything handed to them on a silver platter.” No, we don’t.’
Talking about Rohit’s struggle, Ajay adds, ‘Look at his struggle. He literally had no money to eat food. Today, he is a very successful director. People can say whatever they want, but there is struggle.’
Shetty recalls about those early days: ‘I was always positive. I was always like a fighter. We never thought about money. We never thought about food. It was just work. I think that attitude till today has kept us where we are today, I think.’
The Next Generation
Is the next generation interested in pursuing a career in films?
Talking about his daughter Nysa, Ajay says, ‘Right now, she does not want to be… I don’t think she wants to be, but tomorrow if something changes, they will run a 20-year-old interview that Ajay Devgn said this. But right now, there is zero percent chance.’
Talking about his son Ishaan, Rohit said, ‘Yes, he wants to be in movies. He has made up his mind. He has to go through that whole format like I am going to take my car back from him and everything. He has to go through that struggle.’
The Grand Success of Gadar 2
The conversation veers towards one of 2023’s biggest hits, Gadar 2, starring Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel.
‘That’s a phenomenon beyond and I think somebody can make like a documentary on the making of Gadar because I believe that no one had that kind of faith initially that it would open to Rs 40 crore (Rs 400 million) and do over Rs 500 crore (Rs 5 billion) of business and Sunny Deol, 66 years old,’ Karan says.
Rohit agrees: ‘I think that was one film which every one of us was happy about. For Gadar, for Sunny sir.’
Ajay said, ‘In fact, I told Sunny also that in all the chains all over the city, theatre chains all over the city, people celebrated, and they had a get-together and they were so happy about it.’
Rambunctious Ranveer
Rohit Shetty is currently busy filming Singham 3, the next installment of his successful cop universe.
Apart from Ajay Devgn, the film will see Ranveer Singh reprising his role as Simmba.
Talking about working with the powerhouse of unbridled energy Ranveer, Rohit says, ‘He has a different energy all together.’
Karan asks Ajay, ‘He is the complete opposite of you, Ajay. How do you handle that?’
The unfiltered actor replied, ‘Either I shut him up or I shut my ears.’
KJo is left speechless.
Karan Johar: The ‘Sworn’ Enemy
During the Rapid Fire round, KJo asks Ajay why he is never spotted at parties. The actor replies, ‘I am not called anymore.’
Karan then asks, ‘Never papped at the airport because?’
‘I don’t call them, Ajay replies.
Karan is ‘shocked’ when Ajay names him as his ‘sworn enemy’ in Bollywood.
‘Do you have a sworn enemy?’ KJo asked.
Ajay replies: ‘Once upon a time, you.’
For those who don’t know, Karan Johar and Kajol’s friendship turned sour in 2016 when Ajay Devgn’s ambitious film Shivaay clashed with Johar’s directorial Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. The two buried the hatchet after Karan welcomed his twins in 2017 and informed Kajol about the same via text.
