Vishal Veeru Devgan (born 2 April 1969), known professionally as Ajay Devgn, is an Indian actor, film director, and producer.

[5] In the 2000s, Devgn saw limited commercial success, but gained critical acclaim for the films Company (2002), The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002), Gangaajal (2003), Khakee (2004), Raincoat (2004), and Omkara (2006).

[23][24][19] Devgn and Kajol stored their newborn son's umbilical cord blood and tissues to act as a source of stem cells in case of serious ailment.

[26][27][28][29][30] He visits Ajmer Sharif, a Sufi shrine, every year, and says that he also keeps the Ramadan fast as a sign of secularism and respect when he's with a Muslim artist or crew staff during a film shooting.

[1] He began his professional career alongside Madhoo in the action romance Phool Aur Kaante, which earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut.

[47] In 1999, Devgn starred in the musical romance Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, in which he played Vanraj, a man who tries to help his wife (Aishwarya Rai) reunite with her lover (Salman Khan).

The film, an adaptation of Maitreyi Devi's Bengali novel Na Hanyate, was directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and co-starred Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai.

[52] In 2001, Devgn starred in another moderately successful film; Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke with Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta.

"[56][57] Devgn's next release was David Dhawan's comedy Hum Kisise Kum Nahin, with Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt and Aishwarya Rai.

[63] In 2004, Devgn was cast with Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai and Akshay Kumar in Rajkumar Santoshi's action thriller Khakee.

In 2008, Devgn starred in the social film Halla Bol, directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, alongside Pankaj Kapoor and Vidya Balan.

[80][81] The film is based on the life of activist Safdar Hashmi, who was killed in 1989 by political rivals while performing in the street play Halla Bol.

The way he treats his remorse, drunkenly pointing every finger at himself around a dinner table, is superbly handled, as is his guilty struggle to delineate his life experience from his professional opinion.

The Indian Express said the screenplay was derivative, concluding: "There is nothing particularly new about a suspicious wife keeping tabs on her husband, and there is nothing particularly new in the way Ajay-Kareena play it.

The film was made with a budget of ₹60 crore (US$6.9 million)[92] At release, it received positive reviews and emerged a superhit at the box office.

Although, like its predecessor, the film received mixed reviews, it was the most successful of the Golmaal series, earning more than ₹169 crore (US$20 million) and emerging a blockbuster.

[99] In 2011, Devgn performed with Emraan Hashmi in Madhur Bhandarkar's comedy Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji.

[104] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave it 4 stars and said: "The film is a complete mass entertainer with power-packed drama, hi-intensity dialogue and towering performances as its aces.

[114] In 2018, Devgn starred in Raj Kumar Gupta's Raid where he plays the role of an honest Indian Revenue Service officer, which released to positive critical feedback on 16 March, and was a commercial success.

[118] In early 2020, Devgn portrayed the role of 17th-century military leader Tanaji Malusare in an eponymously titled film, Tanhaji; directed by Om Raut.

[122] In 2021, he starred alongside Sanjay Dutt, Sharad Kelkar, Nora Fatehi and Sonakshi Sinha in the historical film, Bhuj: The Pride of India,[123] a critical failure, and had a cameo in Sooryavanshi, reprising as DCP Bajirao Singham.

[126] He was also seen in extended cameo appearances in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Gangubai Kathiawadi and S. S. Rajamouli's RRR, for which he received high praise.

The first was the horror film Shaitaan, which received favorable response from critics and emerged a huge hit at the box office.

[131] He then appeared in Amit Ravindernath Sharma's third directorial venture Maidaan, which saw him portraying Indian football coach Syed Abdul Rahim.

[132][133] His next release, Neeraj Pandey's Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha was also a box office flop, this time to mixed to negative reviews.

Critical reception was generally positive, with Taran Adarsh giving the film 4 out of 5 stars and describing it as "A well-made, absorbing love story that's high on emotional quotient".

[142] In 2009, Devgn released and acted in his home production All the Best: Fun Begins, which was directed by Rohit Shetty and also starring, Sanjay Dutt, Fardeen Khan, Bipasha Basu and Mugdha Godse.

The film was produced by Ajay Devgn, Nana Patekar, Abhinav Shuklaa, Manish Mishra, & Rohit Choudhary and released on 9 February 2018.

It has been involved with many major films, such as Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, Tamasha, Bajirao Mastani, Mersal, Dilwale, Force 2, and Simmba.

"[152] Ankur Pathak of GQ noted, "Devgn has shown remarkable resilience as a bankable star who has never had to rely on a "comeback" film since he never really goes off-screen.