Ajay Devgan (born Vishal Veeru Devgan on 2 April 1969),[1] also credited as Ajay Devgn,[2] is an Indian Bollywood actor, film director and producer. He is widely considered as one of the most popular actors of Hindi cinema who has appeared in over a hundred Hindi films.[3][4][5] He has won numerous awards and has been honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri in 2016. He is the son of director Veeru Devgan.
Devgan began his professional career with Phool Aur Kaante in 1991 and received a Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut for his performance.[6][7] He then starred in successful films such as Jigar (1992), Dilwale (1994), Suhaag (1994), Naajayaz (1995), Diljale (1996) and Ishq (1997). In 1998, he appeared in a critically acclaimed performance in Mahesh Bhatt's drama Zakhm and he received his first National Film Award for Best Actor for his role in the movie. In 1999, his most-talked-about film was Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam in which he played Vanraj, a man who tries to unite his wife with her lover.
In the early 2000s, he gave critically acclaimed performances in Ram Gopal Varma's fictional expose of Mumbai underworld Company. He played the character of a gangster, for which he won Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor. The same year he gave another critically acclaimed performance in Deewangee for which he received the Filmfare Best Villain Award. In 2003, he won his second National Film Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Bhagat Singh in Rajkumar Santoshi's biopic The Legend of Bhagat Singh. Throughout his career he has performed in many critically and commercially successful films including Raincoat (2004)," Gangajal, (2004), Yuva (2004), Apaharan (2005), Omkara (2006), Golmaal: Fun Unlimited (2006), Golmaal Returns (2008), All the Best: Fun Begins (2009), Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010), Golmaal 3 (2010), Raajneeti (2010), Singham (2011), Bol Bachchan (2012), Son of Sardaar (2012), Singham Returns (2014) and Drishyam (2015) . He has starred in more than 80 Hindi films. Having done so, he established himself as one of the leading actors of Bollywood.[8][9][10]
In addition, Devgn owns a production company Ajay Devgn Films which was established in 2000. In 2008 he debuted as a film director with U Me Aur Hum.
He married Indian film actress, Kajol in 1999 and the couple have two children. In August 2009, Devgn changed his surname from 'Devgan' to 'Devgn' on the request of his family.[11
