Ajay Devgn makes the effort of staying calm worth watching. We recommend his quiet uncertainty in Drishyam, though the control that serves him there can make other performances feel laboured.
Fi1m perspective
In Drishyam (2015), Ajay Devgn makes staying in control look like something Vijay Salgaonkar has to work at. He lets us follow the calculations without suggesting that Vijay already has every answer. That uncertainty is essential: the family’s predicament still matters while we are trying to work out how the cover-up operates. We were unsettled by how readily we wanted him to get away with it, because Devgn gives the pressure on the family as much attention as the scheme. This is where we value him most, playing a man who has reasons to keep his feelings under control.
His debut, Phool Aur Kaante (1991), introduced him with a motorcycle stunt and established him as an action lead. Zakhm (1998) helped bring critical attention to his dramatic work. Company (2002) made use of his restrained intensity as the gangster Malik, while Vishal Bhardwaj cast him in the title role of Omkara (2006). Those roles make sense for an actor who can suggest authority without giving every line an emphatic reading.
The risk is visible in The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002): physical commitment does not always prevent the performance from looking over-controlled. We can become too aware of the effort behind each response. The later emphasis on broad entertainment, through Singham (2011) and the Golmaal series, puts that reserve to different uses. In the comedies, his deadpan timing supports the ensemble’s humour without insisting on being its centre. This is a sensible use of a performer whose comic strengths do not depend on being expansive.
We would still start with Drishyam, though the plotting takes too long. Devgn cannot solve that, and neither can Tabu. Together, though, they keep the central contest worth following, with enough uncertainty to stop the scheme becoming a demonstration of cleverness. A showier Vijay would leave us watching for the next calculation and caring less about the family making it. Give it an evening when there is no need to hurry, and leave time to discuss why we were so keen for the cover-up to work.
Biography
Ajay Devgn is an Indian actor, film director and producer who works primarily in Hindi cinema. Born Vishal Virender Devgan on 2 April 1969 in New Delhi, he made his acting debut in the 1991 film Phool Aur Kaante, for which he received the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut.
He has appeared in over 100 films and is known for roles including Vijay Salgaonkar in Drishyam (2015) and its sequels, Bajirao Singham in Singham (2011) and Singham Returns (2014), and Alluri Venkatarama Raju in RRR (2022). Devgn has won four National Film Awards and four Filmfare Awards. In 2016 he received the Padma Shri from the Government of India.
He established the production company Ajay Devgn FFilms in 2000 and made his directorial debut with U Me Aur Hum (2008). He is married to actress Kajol.
