Vishal Veeru Devgan, Hindi:विशाल देवगन, born (April 2, 1969 in New Delhi, India), popularly known as Ajay Devgan is a National Film Award-winning actor who appears in Bollywood films. Beginning his career as an action hero in the early 1990s, Devgan has since established himself as one of the serious actors in Bollywood. In 2008 he ventured into directing as well with U, Me Aur Hum, which saw him starring in the lead role alongside his wife, popular actress Kajol.
Devgan is originally from Punjab, of Sikh Tarkhan Ramgarhia origin. He is 5'11" (1,80m) tall. His father is Veeru Devgan, a stunt choreographer, his mother Veena Devgan produced one film and his brother, Anil Devgan, is a Bollywood film director. He is a graduate of bapu school in Juhu & Mithibai College. He married the successful actress Kajol on February 24, 1999. Their daughter Nysa Mukherjee-Devgan was born on April 20, 2003.
Devgan made his film debut with Phool Aur Kaante (1991), in which he played the son of antagonist Amrish Puri. His performance won him a Filmfare Best Debut Award. Many of his earlier movies were of the action genre and he worked with director Deepak Bahry on the action film Ek Hi Raasta opposite Raveena Tandon. However he soon began starring in comedy films such as Ishq in 1997.
In 1998, he was the leading actor in Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, one of the biggest hits of that year. He next starred in Mahesh Bhatt's Zakhm. The film was highly acclaimed, as was his performance. He won several awards for his performance, including the coveted National Film Award for Best Actor and Star Screen Award Best Actor.
Devgan saw further success in 1999 when Sanjay Leela Bhansali cast him opposite Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai for the film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, which was a critical and commercial success. Devgan's performance in the film earned him a nomination for Best Actor at the Filmfare.
Devgan went on to be notably recognised for his association with filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, resulted in several successful projects, which was particularly noticed in 2002, with the drama Company, which earned him his second Star Screen Award Best Actor. 2002 proved to be a good year for him, as his performance in Rajkumar Santoshi's The Legend of Bhagat Singh won him his second National Film Award for Best Actor.
In 2004, he starred in several critically appreciated films, including Mani Ratnam's Yuva, Rituparno Ghosh's Raincoat; thse projects did not do well at the box office. In 2006, he played the title role in the critically acclaimed adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello, titled Omkara.
In 2007, Devgan starred in Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, which was the remake of the Indian cinema's landmark Sholay. The film was a major failure critically as well as commercially.
Devgan's first 2008 release, Halla Bol, was not a box-office success,, but Devgan's performance won appreciation from critics. Next came Sunday, which performed below average at the box office.
Devgan's directorial debut, U, Me Aur Hum, in which he starred opposite his wife, was released on April 11, 2008. The film performed moderately well at the box office and received positive reports, approving his work as a debuting director.
