Ajay Devgn Talks ‘Bholaa,’ Lauds ‘RRR’ Oscar Success, Sets ‘Singham 3’ Start Date (EXCLUSIVE)
Bollywood A-lister Ajay Devgn returns to the director’s chair with “Bholaa,” in which he also stars alongside Tabu.
This is Devgn’s fourth directorial effort after “U Me Aur Hum” (2008), “Shivaay” (2016) and “Runway 34” (2022). A remake of 2019 Tamil-language hit “Kaithi,” “Bholaa” follows a prisoner who is going to meet his young daughter after being released from jail. However, he gets embroiled in an epic journey that sees him up against a drug cartel and helping the police.
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“We are keeping the basic storyline similar, obviously that’s the reason you make a remake, because we like the storyline. We’ve altered a lot of characters, a little bit of the screenplay, and the characteristics of people. The drama has changed in a way, the emotions have changed – somewhere I would say enhanced, more underlined,” Devgn told Variety.
“Bholaa” will release in 3D, Imax and 4DX versions worldwide. “It’s a big scale film, it’s an action film, and the kind of visuals and action we have, we thought that we’d enhance the whole drama and action sequences and the tension,” Devgn said about the film, which is shot by Aseem Bajaj. “The atmosphere and the surroundings and action we’ve created is something which I don’t think people have seen much of.”
“Kaithi” is part of the Vikram universe, which includes “Vikram” (1986) and “Vikram” (2022). “‘Bholaa’ ends at a note where you will feel that there is going to be a part two, it would not be a similar part two like ‘Vikram,’ or an adaptation. Because we will be bringing in different kinds of new characters. So yes, it will be a continuation, that’s the approach to it,” Devgn said.
Devgn starred in “Drishyam 2,” which brought cheer to the beleaguered 2022 Bollywood box office with $42 million. He also headlined “Tanhaji,” which was the biggest Indian hit of COVID-affected 2020 with $44.6 million. Devgn attributes the success of these films to having strong storylines that connected with the audience.
After a rough 2022, 2023 has been a good year for Bollywood so far with Shah Rukh Khan’s “Pathaan” proving to be a blockbuster and Ranbir Kapoor’s “Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar” also tasting success. “Right now we are in a situation where we don’t need just two or three firms, we need a couple more for the audience to get into the habit of coming back into the theaters, they’ve become very selective,” Devgn said.
Devgn added that films that used to become mid-range earners earning around $7 million, now end their theatrical runs with $1.5 million. The audience needs to have a cinematic experience repeatedly, at least three to four times, to encourage them to return to cinemas, Devgn said. “The theater experience has become completely different, it’s become mega,” Devgn said, adding that this is something that could change imminently, pointing to the box office success of several independent films made in India’s regional language industries.
Devgn is also one of the stars of S.S. Rajamouli’s Oscar and Golden Globe winning blockbuster “RRR.” “Rajamouli is a genius, the way he thinks, and he deserves every bit of it. As a team we are all very happy. We all as a country are very happy, it just makes us proud,” Devgn said.
“It’s not just the big action and the big visuals, in ‘RRR’ I would say, the kind of Indian drama which was created, the relationships between two friends and the love for the country, that is what I feel has fascinated people,” Devgn said. “There [in the West] people have seen films with bigger scale, bigger action and visuals, but I think it [“RRR”] is a little more dramatized compared to what they do in Hollywood films and films abroad. So, it’s basically the emotion which connects. And coming back to ‘Bholaa,’ it’s got a very strong daughter-father relationship and fingers crossed, I hope it connects.”
Next up for Devgn is Amit Sharma’s “Maidaan,” a period biographic film with a soccer backdrop that is ready for release; Neeraj Pandey’s drama “Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha”; and an untitled film directed by Abhishek Kapoor.
“Singham 3,” the next instalment in Rohit Shetty’s enormously successful Singham franchise will begin shooting in May or June, Devgn said.
“Bholaa,” from T-Series Films, Ajay Devgn FFilms, Reliance Entertainment and Dream Warrior Pictures, releases theatrically worldwide on March 30.
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