Ajay Devgn Is Like My Brother From Another Mother: Milan Luthria

Director Milan Luthria is the master of the multi-starrer. After churning out hits such as Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai (2010) and The Dirty Picture (2011), he returns to the silver screen with the action thriller Baadshaho, starring his “brother from another mother”, actor Ajay Devgn.

Milan is all praise for the 48-year old actor. “A very strange thing happened recently,” says the director. “I gave an interview a couple of days ago, and said that relationships develop and become stronger when the two people involved can comfortably pick up where they left off. Soon after my interview, I was watching an interview of Ajay for Baadshaho, and he said exactly the same thing!” Milan adds, “This is how it has mostly been — the thought is in my head, and Ajay says it.”

The hit duo has collaborated on films such as Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, Chori Chori (2003), and Milan’s directorial debut Kachche Dhaage (1999). Milan recalls how Ajay supported him even before he became a director. “He helped me start my first film. I’d visit him on the sets of his other films, too, when he was already a big movie star. When we’re not working on a film together, we might not talk for even a year. But when we meet, it’s like we just met yesterday,” says the director about his bonhomie with the actor.

Ajay plays the role of Bhavaani in Baadshaho, who is a loyal guy and a bit of a badass. Milan reveals that the film has been in the making for almost “15 years now”. He says, “The idea was discussed when we were working on Kachche Dhaage, and since then, we were waiting for the right time and right cast to execute the film.”

Milan adds that the biggest success was getting the casting right. “Emraan Hashmi was perfect as the crook, who can’t be trusted yet is an extremely resourceful guy; Ileana D’Cruz as the princess who is a misfit and wants to explore the world; Esha [Gupta] as the sexy and tough girl; Vidyut [Jammwal] as an Army guy with the best physique in town, someone who could take on Ajay’s and Emraan’s characters; and Sanjay Mishra as the old, wise guy who has seen the world.”

Baadshaho releases on September 1.