Ajay Devgn in Zakhm (L) Mahesh Bhatt (R)
New Delhi:
Ajay Devgn’s 1998 film Zakhm became a cult classic over the years. In a recent conversation, the actor recalled how director Mahesh Bhatt had pitched the film to him while he was “having a bath”.
What’s Happening
- Ajay Devgn recalled how he never read a script for the film overnight. What he does remember is the call he got from Bhatt sahab when he was ‘having a bath’.
- Ajay Devgn told Variety India, “I don’t remember reading any script overnight; but I do remember this one time, while shooting in Hyderabad. At the time, there were no mobile phones. I was in the shower. The hotel’s bathroom landline rang, I received it and it was Bhatt Saab (Mahesh Bhatt) on the line.”
- He continued, “He told me, ‘I want you to do a film for me,’ and I said, ‘Bhatt Saab, I am having a bath, can I call you back?’ He said, ‘No, no, one second and it will take me two minutes.’ In two minutes, he narrated Zakhm and I said, ‘Now, can I have a shower? Let me go, I am doing the film.'”
- “My first film hadn’t released and I was standing outside my dad’s office. A car was passing by and Bhatt Saab remarked, ‘I looked into your eyes while the car was moving. You are going to do great, trust me on that.’ That felt amazing, too,” Ajay Devgn concluded, expressing gratitude for Mahesh Bhatt’s faith in him.
About Zakhm
Zakhm in 1998 was Mahesh Bhatt’s final film as a director before he stepped away.
The plot of the film revolves around Ajay, who had to go through a lot regarding his religious identity during the Muslim riots. Communal loyalties are put to the test when his dying mother reveals that she was secretly in love with a Hindu man, and coerces him to promise her that she will receive an Islamic burial.
ALSO READ | Ajay Devgn Recalls Doing Scary ‘First Stunt Of His Life’ In The Age Of No CGI
