MUMBAI – Actor Ajay Devgn, who is elated with the audience response to his latest film Satyagraha, feels commercial films act as oxygen to achieve stardom while non-commercial ones provide platform to showcase acting.
The 44-year-old is the one actor who has been part of both masala entertainers like Singham, Son of Sardaar and serious cinema such as Satyagraha, Gangajal and Zakhm. “I took the risk of doing non-commercial films when no actor was ready to do it. Commercial films are like oxygen to stardom while films like ‘Satyagraha’ are oxygen to acting. I am happy to be part of both streams,” he said.
“Satyagraha”, the Prakash Jha-directed political drama, has received mixed response from the audience. But Ajay is happy with the kind of reaction that is coming in.
“It’s a good feeling the audience is ready to watch good cinema. As an actor it’s like a confident booster for me that people accept me in commercial as well non-commercial roles. Most of the reaction that I have got has been positive. If you look at the collections it shows people have loved the film,” Ajay said.
Released on August 30, Satyagraha has reportedly collected Rs 44.19 crore at the box office in four days.
“There are people who might not have liked the film. May be they like watching masala films. It is impossible to impress everyone,” he said. Satyagraha has an impressive cast which included Amitabh Bachchan, Arjun Rampal, Kareena Kapoor, Manoj Bajpayee and Amrita Rao besides Ajay.
The film deals with the middle-class movement against the existing political system. It’s the story of a man who is a firm believer of Gandhian principles.
“I feel Satyaghara is not an old term… It is relevant even today. The biggest example of this is our youth, who is aggressive but not violent. They take out candle marches or stage peaceful protests to react to something they feel is not right… This is a good sign,” Ajay said.
