Written by Arushi Jain | New Delhi | Published: March 15, 2018 10:16 am Ajay Devgn will be seen as a no-nonsense Income Tax Officer in his next film, Raid.
Ajay Devgn has spent more than 26 years in the Hindi film industry. Over two decades, the actor, with his choice of films, has managed to earn the tag of a ‘versatile actor’. From being a romantic hero to giving Bollywood the cult character of a tough cop Singham, the 48-year-old actor has carved his own niche.
As action director Veeru Devgn’s son, Ajay has been driven by action films. The next we will see him on the silver screen will be in the role of a non-nonsense Income Tax Officer in Raj Kumar Gupta directorial Raid. The film set in the 80s is about one of the high-profile raids that happened in the country. Also starring Saurabh Shukla and Ileana D’Cruz, the film will hit the theatres this Friday.
While it has been often said about Devgn that he delivers hits when paired with the hitmaker director Rohit Shetty (six out of his seven 100 crore club movies are directed by Shetty), film critics and movie buffs wait to see if Raid will change that notion. Before Raid opens in theaters, here is a look at the box office performance of Ajay Devgn’s last five releases.
Golmaal Again: Rs 205.69 crore
The Rohit Shetty directorial with an ensemble cast of Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi, Parineeti Chopra and Tabu broke records at the box office and became one of the most successful films of 2017. The horror comedy crossed the Rs 100 crore mark in just four days and earned a total of Rs. 205.69 crore at the Indian box office. For Ajay, the Golmaal franchise of which he has been a part of since 2010, lifted him to a star status and in his own words the movie is his “pension plan”.
Baadshaho: Rs 78.1 crore
Set during the period of Emergency, Milan Luthria’s Baadshaho did decent business at the box office and minted Rs 78.1 crore. Made at a budget of Rs 80 crore, the film released in 2017 and had a great run in not only Indian theaters but also overseas. The gangster saga witnessed coming together of director Milan Luthria and actors Ajay and Emraan Hashmi who earlier gave a masala entertainer in Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai. Esha Gupta and Ileana D’Cruz added to the glamour quotient of the film. While Baadshaho received mixed reviews from critics, little did anyone expect that the film will be able to beat the total collection of Shah Rukh Khan’s Jab Harry Met Sejal which earned Rs 64.32 crore.
Shivaay: Rs 100.33 crore
This Ajay Devgn’s production and directorial venture released in 2016 with a neck to neck competition from Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. Still, the film did good business at the single screens. Shivaay was an Ajay Devgn show all the way. His impactful acting pulled the audience to the ticket counters bringing its total collection in India to Rs 100.33 crore. This was Ajay’s fifth film to make to the coveted 100 crore club after Golmaal 3, Son Sardaar, Bol Bachchan and Singham Returns. The film about a mountaineer (Devgn) and his relationship with his daughter also grabbed a National Award for Best Visual Effects at the 64th National Awards.
Drishyam: Rs 67.13 crore
Released in 2015, the suspense thriller starring Tabu and Ajay Devgn gave the Hindi movie buffs one of the best in the genre. The film was a remake of the Jeethu’s 2013 hit Malayalam film of the same name. ‘Drishyam’ also had a Tamil remake which featured superstar Kamal Haasan in the lead role. Ajay Devgn returned to his forte of intense roles with Drishyam which was not the regular whodunit drama. Vijay Salgaonkar (Ajay Devgn) is a ‘fourth class fail’ self-made orphan and his family is his only weakness. It is for their protection that he goes against all the odds. The film earned Rs 67.13 crore and Ajay then tweeted about it, “Very satisfied with the response that Drishyam is getting, one of the rare films that gets you collections as well as respect as an actor.”
Action Jackson: Rs 57.78 crore
The Prabhudheva directorial starring Sonakshi Sinha and Ajay Devgn failed miserably at the box office. It managed to earn a meagre amount of Rs 57.78 crore. Ajay played a double role in the movie, a good-hearted goon Vishy, and his look-alike, the sword-wielder AJ, whose chief ability is to kill humans. After the film failed to perform at the box office, Ajay in his interview to The Hindu said, “When we started Action Jackson, I knew the film wouldn’t work. I don’t blame Prabhu Deva for that. Our bad luck was that after we had put up the set and were about to begin shooting, we realised the story was similar to Dhoom 3.”
For all the latest Entertainment News, download Indian Express App
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
[contf] [contfnew] 
The Indian Express
[contfnewc] [contfnewc]
