Ajay Devgan-Sanjay Dutt Partnership in Rohit Shetty’s next

After last year’s sensitive U Me Aur Hum Ajay Devgan is all set to produce another film in March 2009. The film will take two of our he-men Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgan back to their action roots, through the laughter route.

And this time Devgan isn’t directing, long-standing friend Rohit Shetty and Devgan are back together after working together in one of biggest blockbusters of 2008 Golmaal Returns.

“And why only Golmaal?’ says Ajay. “Rohit and I go back 17 years. He was an assistant on my first film Phool Aur Kaante.”

The new Devgan-Shetty project to be produced by the actor, which materialized almost overnight will have long-standing friends Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgan teaming up once again. Fardeen Khan also plays a lead.

So is Rohit Shetty doing some more Golmaal with the duo?

“No Golmaal this time,” laughs Rohit. “I’m putting together a far more sensible and far less slapstick comedy for Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgan.The project was finalized in two weeks. The script was ready for a while and when I narrated it to Ajay he immediately wanted to produce it. He met Sanjay Dutt who liked the film.”

Rohit is proud to be directing a film for Devgan. “I’ve known him for seventeen years. And he starred in all the films I’ve directed so far. I feel really honored that he has asked me to direct his home production.”

The film won’t feature Kajol in the cast.

Apparently the Rohit Shetty comedy for Ajay Devgan Productions is a boy’s flick, though a leading lady will figure in the cast.

The plot will hark back to the comedies of Hrishikesh Mukherjee in the 1970s.

Says Rohit, “It will be an action comedy. Both Sanjay and Ajay have strong images as action heroes. It’s been a while since they indulged in heart-stopping stunts. I want to cast them in an action-comedy.I’ve always been a fan of Hrishida’s comedies. So when I wrote this script it was meant to provide a maturer flavour of laughter. In Golmaal I can get away with a lot of slapstick humour. But when I’m directing Dutt and Devgan audiences exspect a lot less buffoonery.”

No matter what the mood, comedy is Rohit Shetty’s chosen genre. “That’s what audiences want, specially now. Why should audiences pay money to cry?”

Devgan burnt his hands with a serious-themed U Me Aur Hum.

With the Rohit Shetty comedy Devgan is determined to forget Alzheimers. -Subhash K Jha
/ Sampurn Media