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Ajay Devgn: We got bored of seeing people and cars flying

'We made sure there is a no blood bath in Singham Returns,' Ajay Devgn tells Sonil Dedhia. 

Ajay Devgn is back with Singham Returns.

This time, he promises that the action will be 'quite real,' and villains and cars will not fly in the air.

Devgn insists Singham Returns is not a sequel, but just another episode in Singham’s life.

He tells Sonil Dedhia what to expect in the new film, and how it's like Iron Man 3! He also discusses his equation with Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan.

Do you look at Singham as a brand?

Singham has become a character that can go on and on. Like in Hollywood, we had Rambo. Singham can combat at the age of 50 or 60 also. It has become a cult character.

I have come across people who call cops Singham because of the good work they did for the society.

How different is Singham Returns from the Tamil film Singham 2?

Our film is completely different.

We heard the script of the Tamil film and felt it was necessary to change it completely to suit the taste of our audience.

Singham was a big hit and we had to raise the bar. There was pressure to deliver another good film. That is why we did not blindly copy the Tamil film.

Our film is not a remake. Technically, my character is the same but has moved from living in a small village to a big city like Mumbai.

The drama, the scale and the problems have become bigger in the film.

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'In the previous film, Singham never got hurt, but this Singham can'

How distinct is Singham Returns from the first part?

With audiences changing, the way you treat your story has become very important. It needs realism.

In the previous film, Singham never got hurt, but this Singham can.

It’s like Iron Man. Iron Man 3 showed the Iron Man without the suit and it was the man, who was fighting and not a superhero.

You can’t show the hero taking over all the time. He also has his pressures and gets beaten up.

From the promos, it looks like there are a lot of changes in the action sequences.

We have consciously decided to keep the action sequences more real.

We had got bored of seeing people and cars flying and that whole style of action. As I said, you can’t show that the hero wins all the time.

Women and kids have loved Singham more than men and that is why we made sure there is a no blood bath in the new film. 

'I still do my own action sequences as much as I can'

Is it difficult to do high octane action sequences at this age?

If you keep yourself fit and fine, then it’s manageable. But you do have to take care of injuries. Doing action has become safer.

Action sequences in Bollywood have evolved a lot.

Absolutely. It is getting bigger and better. The budgets are higher and with the help of new technology, action has become easier.

I still do my own action sequences as much as I can.

In certain action scenes in Singham Returns, I have not used cables or any harness. It’s pretty raw and real.

Your father Veeru Devgan was stunt and action choreographer. What does he have to say about today’s action sequences?

He likes the progress. He feels that there are a lot of safety precautions taken today that help in doing better stunts.

'Kareena tries to portray that she is very smart but she is not'

After working with Rohit Shetty in so many films, do you have a blind faith in him and would you accept any film he offers you?

We have been working together for 25 years, so we do share an amazing rapport.

There is faith in each other but we do discuss the script and the story before working on a project. He knows me and he knows how to use me as an actor.

Tell us about your chemistry with Kareena Kapoor.

I don’t know what ‘chemistry’ means. I think if the characters work then chemistry works. We share a great rapport.

We have known each other for many years. So there is a comfort zone and that shows on screen.

Kareena says one bad habit that you have is your smoking. What are her good and bad qualities?

She has a lot of good qualities. She is a very simple and naive girl and is a good actress.

She tries to portray that she is very smart but she is not.

She loves to gossip, which I would call entertaining rather than a bad quality.

'I want to surpass my own box office record'

Movies have become all about box office numbers. Do you succumb to the pressure of starring in only commercial films?

I don’t agree. Box office excites me but that doesn’t have anything to do with my choice of films.

I want to hear a script that excites me. Like Mahesh Bhatt’s Zakham excited me; it took me just 30 seconds to decide about that film.

I also feel that films don’t fail, budgets fail.

You are also one of the producers of Singham Returns. Have you personally set some benchmark for the film’s box office performance?

No, we have not decided on figures or talked about it.

You can make an estimate when you watch some other film, but about your own film you can’t.

I don’t even want to discuss numbers. As an actor and a producer, I want to surpass my own box office record which is important to me.

'There is no friendship with Shah Rukh Khan'

Shah Rukh Khan had come on the sets of Singham Returns...

(Interrupts) He was shooting so he just dropped in.

But there was news that Rohit Shetty played the mediator between Shah Rukh and you.

Rohit didn't play mediator. I don’t know why there are stories that we have patched up.

When there is no issue, where does the question of patch up arise?

I never said that there is no equation with SRK. I had said that there is no friendship and I still maintain that. But that does not mean that we are enemies.

Maybe there was something 20 years ago, when we were both rash and brash, but he's never spoken out against me or vice versa. We also don’t remember what we said about each other so many years ago.

We may not meet for a drink every day, but that doesn’t mean we are at war. You don't have to be best friends with everyone.

We are colleagues and we are there for each other as we are part of the same industry.

I am sure if I need some support tomorrow, he will be there for me and I will be there for him too.

'Salman can even make a bad film look good'

Lot of big films are coming this year like Bang Bang, Happy New Year, PK are releasing this year.

I think whatever names you have taken hopefully will all be blockbusters.

All these films have good release and even the audience is hopeful about these films.

Have you seen Kick? Are you a fan of Salman Khan?

I haven’t seen a film for quite some time as I was busy with Singham Returns. I saw the promos of Kick and loved it.

Salman is a colleague and a dear friend. He can carry off anything on screen.

He is so watchable on screen that he can even make a bad film look good and make it work.

'My kids are eager to watch Singham Returns'

Do you miss those days when you worked on multiple projects?

No, not at all. We used to do 18 films at a time, so a rule was made of not signing more than 11 films.

I am too tired now (laughs). I can’t do more than one film at a time.

How do your kids react to your films?

My son loves me doing action and my daughter prefers comedy. They are eager to watch Singham Returns.

Kajol is making a comeback in films.

Yes. I cannot reveal the subject as it’s too early. It is a woman-centric film.

We are looking for a hero. I will only be producing the film. I won’t be acting. Ram Madhavani will direct it.