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Like Sanjeev Kumar and Jaya Bhaduri (Bachchan) in the bygone era, nothing stops another pair of real-life friends, Ajay Devgn and Tabu, from being cast with, but not necessarily opposite, each other. The two older actors were also very fond of each other. Sanjeev and Jaya started out playing father and daughter in Parichay and went on to do hits or successes like Koshish, Anamika and Naya Din Nayi Raat as a lead pair. They then went on to be father-in-law and widowed bahu in Sholay. And after a romantic outing in Nauker, they again came together to play the traumatized spouses to a straying wife and husband respectively in Silsila. A similar unusual ethos is seen in the Ajay and Tabu trajectory. Speaking to a popular magazine recently, Ajay said, “I have known Tabu since we were 13-14 years old. Our equation is friendly to the extent that we use gaali-galoch on each other. There is a certain comfort zone. I think that equation has never changed over the years.” As Ajay is almost 54, their friendship is now about four decades old, and their mutual comfort zone shows clearly on screen. Incidentally, though Tabu had signed Prem first as the leading lady, her first film with Ajay, Vijaypath, really made her a star and the ‘Ruk Ruk Ruk’ girl. And that film went on floors 30 years ago! As the time spent together increased, their friendship got a further boost. Haqeeqat and Thakshak, which came in the next few years, however, nosedived commercially, and while Tabu went on to experiment with mid-stream, arty and even regional and international cinema, Ajay stayed the course as a mainstream hero and was paired with all the other major heroines. And so it took all of 16 years before they came together again, and began breaking new ground. The first such film was Drishyam (2015), with Tabu as a ruthless and also bereaved cop, investigating the case of her missing son, with Ajay Devgn as the family man who is suspected of murdering him. While there were several sequences of confrontation between them, the scene that stood out was the climax, wherein Ajay as good as informs the mother that her son is no more and Tabu breaks down. At that time, Tabu had told me, “I have always known him as Vishal (Ajay’s real name) and I wish I was friends with him on-screen, but this time I am not! Yet, Ajay has not changed one bit. He is the same good friend and fun-loving person, except that he has become a father! But working with him was such a relaxing experience. See, he has seen so much, is in such a strong position today, comes from a film family and has directed films—so he is never too serious, and shooting becomes like a picnic or a party. In fact, I would sometimes wonder if I was working or was on a holiday.” The 2022 super-hit sequel, Drishyam 2, however, saw the fiery cop back in action to prove Ajay’s guilt, with the latter even more determined to protect his family and himself. In-between these two movies came Fitoor (2016), in which both made cameos. Ajay played hero Aditya Roy Kapur’s godfather, and Tabu was Aditya’s ladylove Katrina Kaif’s mother in this messed-up adaptation of the classic British novel, Great Expectations. After this came Golmaal Again (2017), a bumper hit that saw Ajay in his now cult character as Gopal, one of the Golmaal gang, who was in love with a young girl, while Tabu essayed a psychic librarian! Romance again, but with a twist, marked their 2019 hit, De De Pyaar De. Ajay now played a middle-aged man who falls for a young girl and Tabu was his wife and homemaker, who finally lets him marry the girl. About this film, Tabu had told me, “For us, it was like taking off from the Vijaypath days! Both of us felt we are still in that era. He has not changed, neither have I, and he even looks the same, and I am told so do I!” Recently, Ajay quipped that Tabu was in so many films of his simply because her dates were available, but their roles too did deserve their powerhouse talents. The just-released Bholaa marks Tabu’s first experience with Ajay as producer and director. Tabu plays a feisty cop again, but Ajay essays a man just released from jail and wanting to meet his daughter, of whose existence he never knew, but is living in an orphanage. The cop emotionally blackmails him, however, into completing her own mission against a drug mafia before meeting his kid. The actress calls him an amazing director, who looked at everything from an actor’s perspective as he was himself one. “He is very clear, but also very serious and barely talks! But he is not the same man I know as an actor at all!” Their crackling chemistry will continue with their just-signed new film, billed by director Neeraj Pandey as a romantic musical thriller, Auron Mein Kahaan Dum Tha. Unwilling to reveal details about their pairing, Neeraj, however, lets on that it will be “very different”. And we expect nothing less from this peerless pair. Also Read: SCOOP: The makers of Kaithi to get 5% profit from the theatrical and non-theatrical revenue of Ajay Devgn-starrer Bholaa
