EXCLUSIVE: Maidaan director Amit Sharma calls Ajay Devgn a 'director's actor'; Appreciates his work ethics

Amit Ravindernath Sharma's Maidaan starring Ajay Devgn and Priyamani among others, is all set to release in theatres on 10th April, 2024. Read an excerpt from the director's exclusive interview.

By Rishil Jogani

Published on Mar 26, 2024 | 11:35 PM IST | 254.3K

Amit Ravindernath Sharma calls Ajay Devgn a director's actor (Credit: Amit Sharma Instagram Page)

The director of Tevar and Badhaai Ho, Amit Ravindernath Sharma, is gearing up for his next film Maidaan, starring Ajay Devgn and Priyamani among others. The movie went on floors back in 2019 and after delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is all set to release on 10th April, 2024. Amit Sharma graced Pinkvilla with an interview of his, where he explicitly talked about his experience working with Ajay Devgn on Maidaan.

Amit Sharma Shares Why He Was Skeptical If Ajay Devgn Would Pull Off The Role Of Syed Rahim

In an exclusive Pinkvilla interview with Himesh Mankad, Amit Sharma shared why he was initially skeptical about Ajay pulling off the character of Syed Rahim. He said, "I had a doubt that, 'How Ajay Devgn will play the role of Syed Rahim!'; Because we create an imagery, and in my mind, my image of Ajay Devgn was of 'Singham', And Syed Rahim doesn't have an upright posture (like that of Singham)."

Amit Ravindernath Sharma Shares Why He Feels Ajay Devgn Is A Director's Actor

Then, Sharma shared an interaction he had with Ajay Devgn before shooting for Maidaan, which made him realise why Ajay Devgn is such a large-hearted actor. He said, "I met Ajay sir and told him, 'I don't see many dialogues (of yours) in the film. This man (Syed Rahim) actually talks less'. He said, 'I love it'. After the script was done, I told him, 'I want to give a narration and want to talk about Syed Abdul Rahim' and he said, 'Done'. So I gave him a narration. Not a reading narration but an emotional narration of what I have about the story. It was about a one hour narration. And he just said, 'Tell me what I am supposed to do'. He is a director's actor. He doesn't ask questions; 'Director has said this, it is like this'. And I saw the transformation of this man from Singham to Syed Abdul Rahim. So I say this openly - Apart from him, no body else could do this role. He is such an amazing actor."

Watch Amit Ravindernath's full Pinkvilla interview here:

Amit Ravindernath Sharma Reveals How Professional And Punctual Ajay Devgn Is

Amit Sharma went on raving about Ajay as he said, "On the third day of the shoot, I remember telling him, 'I have a doubt. How will this happen!?'; But it's unbelievable what I am seeing onscreen; 'The transformation in you. How you have just changed yourself!' and he said, 'It is coming out naturally because you have given such a world around me, and the script is such that it has made my life easy'. He is a quality actor. We had a lot of discussions. We spoke about the character and he said, 'Whatever is in your mind, just tell me', so I told him. And that's why he is a director's actor. He is professional, he is punctual, he is on-time. No questions asked, just there for you."

Maidaan releases in theatres on 10th Apriil, 2024. How excited are you to watch the film?