Ajay Devgn

Ajay Devgn Biography

Ajay Devgn, born Vishal Virender Devgan on 2 April 1969 in New Delhi, is an Indian actor, film director and producer who works mainly in Hindi cinema. He has appeared in more than 100 films and has won four National Film Awards and four Filmfare Awards. In 2016 the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri, the country’s fourth-highest civilian award.

Early Life and Background

• Birth Name: Vishal Virender Devgan
• Date of Birth: 2 April 1969
• Birthplace: New Delhi, India
• Family: His father, Virender “Veeru” Devgan (1934–2019), was a stunt choreographer and action-film director; his mother, Veena Devgan, is a film producer. His cousin Anil Devgan was a filmmaker and screenwriter.
• Education: Graduated from Silver Beach High School, Juhu, and then studied at Mithibai College, Mumbai.

Career Highlights

• Made his film debut with the action romance Phool Aur Kaante (1991), which established him as a leading star and won him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut.
• Built a following through 1990s action films such as Jigar (1992), Vijaypath (1994), Dilwale (1994), Naajayaz (1995) and Major Saab (1998), and romantic films including Ishq (1997) and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999).
• Won critical acclaim for:
  • Zakhm (1998)
  • Company (2002)
  • The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002)
  • Gangaajal (2003)
  • Khakee (2004)
  • Raincoat (2004)
  • Apaharan (2005)
  • Omkara (2006)
• Returned to large-scale commercial success in 2010 with three back-to-back hits — Raajneeti, Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai and Golmaal 3.
• Continued with Singham (2011), Bol Bachchan (2012), Son of Sardaar (2012), Singham Returns (2014), Drishyam (2015), Raid (2018), Shaitaan (2024), Raid 2 (2025) and Dhamaal 4 (2026).
• His highest-grossing releases are Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior (2020) — also his 100th film — and Drishyam 2 (2022).

Director & Producer

• Owns the production company Ajay Devgn FFilms, established in 1999.
• Has directed three films: Shivaay (2016), Runway 34 (2022) and Bholaa (2023).
• As producer his credits include Tanhaji, Chhalaang, Tribhanga, The Big Bull, Bhuj: The Pride of India and Maa.
• He frequently collaborates with the director Rohit Shetty.

Awards and Recognition

• Padma Shri (2016): India’s fourth-highest civilian honour, presented at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 28 March 2016.
• National Film Awards (4): Best Actor for Zakhm (1998), The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002) and Tanhaji (2020), plus Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment as producer of Tanhaji.
• Filmfare Awards (4): Best Male Debut for Phool Aur Kaante, Best Actor (Critics) for The Legend of Bhagat Singh and Company, and Best Villain for Deewangee. He has ten nominations for the main Best Actor award without a win in that category.
• Placed 7th in Rediff.com’s list of Top 10 Actors of 2000–2010, and ranked 1st in its “Top Bollywood Actors” list for 2002.
• A regular on the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list since 2012, peaking at 10th in 2018.
• Inducted into the Bollywood Walk of Fame at Bandra Bandstand, Mumbai.

Personal Life

• Marriage: Married actress Kajol on 24 February 1999 in a traditional Maharashtrian Hindu ceremony at the Devgan family home.
• Children: Two — daughter Nysa (born 20 April 2003) and son Yug (born 13 September 2010).
• Earlier relationship: He was in a relationship with actress Karisma Kapoor from the time of Jigar (1992) until 1995.
• Faith: A practising Shaiva Hindu who wears a rudraksha; he also visits the Sufi shrine at Ajmer Sharif each year.
• Name change: In August 2009 he changed the spelling of his surname from Devgan to Devgn at his family’s request.

Career Timeline

• 1991 – Breakthrough debut: Phool Aur Kaante made him a leading man and won him the Filmfare Best Male Debut award.
• 1998 – First National Award: Zakhm brought him the National Film Award for Best Actor, along with Screen and BFJA Best Actor awards.
• 2002 – The Legend of Bhagat Singh: His portrayal of Bhagat Singh earned a second National Film Award for Best Actor and the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor.
• 2006 – Omkara: Played Omkara “Omi” Shukla in Vishal Bhardwaj’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello.
• 2010 – Commercial resurgence: Three back-to-back hits in one year — Raajneeti, Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai and Golmaal 3.
• 2011 – Singham: Launched Rohit Shetty’s cop universe, later continued in Singham Returns (2014), Simmba (2018), Sooryavanshi (2021) and Singham Again (2024).
• 2015 – Drishyam: A restrained performance in the crime thriller, followed by Drishyam 2 in 2022.
• 2020 – Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior: His 100th film, a major blockbuster, and his third National Film Award for Best Actor.
• 2024–2026: Shaitaan, Maidaan, Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha and Singham Again (2024); Raid 2, Son of Sardaar 2 and De De Pyaar De 2 (2025); Dhamaal 4 (2026).

Ajay Devgn – Recent Releases

• Dhamaal 4 (2026) – returned as Guddu Rastogi in the comedy franchise.
• Shatak: Sangh Ke 100 Varsh (2026) – narrator.
• De De Pyaar De 2 (2025) – reprised Ashish “Ashu” Mehra.
• Son of Sardaar 2 (2025) – returned as Jassi Randhawa; he also produced.
• Raid 2 (2025) – returned as income-tax officer Amay Patnaik.

Upcoming Projects

• Drishyam 3 – filming; he returns as Vijay Salgaonkar.
• Ranger – filming.
• Chauhaan – announced for 2027.
• Golmaal 5 – announced, release date not set.

Ajay Devgn Awards List