Anubhav Sinha on 18-year silence with Ajay Devgn: 'We never fought, but he doesn't talk to me'
Anubhav Sinha revealed he hasn't spoken to Ajay Devgn in 18 years despite no disputes. He suspects political differences may be a reason.
Last Updated: 05.45 PM, Feb 10, 2025
Ajay Devgn was helmed by Anubhav Sinha in 2007's Cash, alongside Suniel Shetty, Esha Deol, Riteish Deshmukh, Zayed Khan, Dia Mirza, and Shamita Shetty. After that, the filmmaker frequently teamed up with Mirza and other actors, but he never worked with Devgn again, leading to rumors that the two had an argument. Only recently has Sinha admitted that he and the actor have not spoken in 18 years. When the filmmaker tried to contact Devgn, he never got back to him.
Anubhav Sinha's attempts to contact Ajay Devgn
Sinha told The Lallantop that they never fought. No matter what he does, the actor simply won't communicate with him. Since they haven't met since filming Cash, he can't even begin to explain how Devgn has disregarded him. Maybe Sinha is just overanalyzing the situation. Still, he texted the actor twice without hearing back, so he figured Devgn must have forgotten or overlooked his messages. However, their last conversation was almost 18 years ago.
The filmmaker wasted no time responding that they never had any disagreement between them when asked whether they ever argued. Disagreement arose between the producer and the financier; he was neither.
Sinha stated when asked if there was a dispute over a song that Devgn wanted to be featured in that there was no disagreement over any song, not that he knows. Devgn was one of his favorites; in addition to his acting, he adored him as a person. No matter what, the actor is the first to step in and help a friend out.
Political differences
But the filmmaker remembered tweeting about people's political opinions, which he believes may have irritated the Devgn. Sinha must have told him something too because in the middle he did comment on people's political views. However, he did not limit his comments to only Devgn. Despite everything the filmmaker has said, he continues to have cordial relationships with everyone. Sinha holds Devgn in high esteem as an actor and a person, and he is a fan of his.
He also discussed his time creating the TV series Shikast, which featured Naseeruddin Shah, Manoj Bajpayee, Ashutosh Rana, and others, in the same discussion. It was a time when they were all friends and their dinners used to be a regular occurrence. Sinha admitted that Bajpayee's role was inserted later on, but that he had never included him in the original script.
Manoj Bajpayee’s current stance on working with Anubhav Sinha
The script did not call for Bajpayee to play that role. It dawned on the filmmaker one day that the actor needed a part, so he created one for him. On the mental and physical fronts, Bajpayee was going through a dark patch. Unfortunately, the actor has changed his mind and will no longer collaborate with Sinha. He made it clear to the filmmaker that he was solely interested in working on music videos with him.
Sinha is currently working on a film that Bajpayee wanted to act in and he totally wanted him in it. Unfortunately, the days the filmmaker would like to film with the actor are not accessible. His inability to play supporting roles is a major issue and his entire career is on display; he plays a leading role throughout.
Something wonderful and unique about Bajpayee shines through even in his negative roles. On two occasions, the actor has flatly refused to collaborate with Sinha. He offered him the character of Pankaj Kapur in Mulk. It was an offer Sinha made knowing the actor wouldn't accept. The part of Kapur in Dus, which the filmmaker believes he offered Bajpayee, was later turned down. Since then, Sinha has learnt to be more selective when casting actors, so he no longer gives them roles. Even though Bajpayee was interested in the part he gave him, he couldn't work with his availability until April.