Saturday, 17 October 2026
Ajay Devgn - Biography, Stats, and Career Highlights

Ajay Devgn

Actor • Film Director • Film Producer

Ajay Devgn is one of Hindi cinema’s most enduring leading men, known for his understated intensity on screen and his willingness to move between action, drama and comedy. From his 1991 debut in Phool Aur Kaante to the record-breaking Singham Again in 2024, he has built one of the longest and most consistent careers in Bollywood.

He has appeared in 140+ films, won three National Film Awards for acting plus additional National Awards for production and visual effects, received India’s Padma Shri honour, and has directed three features through his own production house, Ajay Devgn FFilms. He is married to actress Kajol, and the couple have two children, Nysa and Yug.

In 2025 and 2026 he kept up a packed release schedule with Raid 2, Son of Sardaar 2 and De De Pyaar De 2, followed in 2026 by Dhamaal 4 and Drishyam: The Conclusion, which became the highest-grossing film of his career. Ranger and Golmaal 5 are next.

Profession
Actor, Film Director, Film Producer
Known for
Zakhm, The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Gangaajal, Omkara, the Golmaal and Singham franchises, Drishyam, Tanhaji
Age
57
Date of birth
1969-04-02
Birthplace
New Delhi, India
Nationality
Indian

Ajay Devgn Quick Facts

Full NameVishal Veeru Devgan
ProfessionActor, Film Director, Film Producer
Date of Birth2 April 1969
Age57 years (as of 2026)
BirthplaceNew Delhi, India
NationalityIndian
Years Active1991–present
DebutPhool Aur Kaante (1991)
BreakthroughPhool Aur Kaante (1991); Jigar (1992)
Total Movies146 films (143 released, 3 upcoming)
Known ForZakhm, The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Gangaajal, Omkara, the Golmaal and Singham franchises, Drishyam, Tanhaji
ParentsVeeru Devgan (father, stunt choreographer and director), Veena Devgan (mother, film producer)
SpouseKajol (married 1999)
ChildrenNysa Devgan, Yug Devgan
EducationSilver Beach High School, Juhu; Mithibai College, Mumbai

Ajay Devgn Career in Numbers

Ajay Devgn has 146 film credits across a career spanning more than three decades, from Phool Aur Kaante (1991) to announced projects for 2027. Of these, 143 have been released and 3 are upcoming: Ranger, Golmaal 5 and Chauhaan.

MilestoneDetails
Total Films146 (143 released, 3 upcoming)
Career Span35+ years (1991–present)
National Film Awards (Acting)3 (Zakhm, The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Tanhaji)
Other National Film AwardsBest Feature Film in Hindi (Raincoat, producer); Best Popular Film (Tanhaji); Best Special Effects (Shivaay)
Notable Year2026 – Drishyam: The Conclusion became the highest-grossing film of his career (over ₹500 crore worldwide)
Major BreakthroughPhool Aur Kaante (1991); 100th film milestone with Tanhaji (2020)
Civilian HonourPadma Shri (2016)

Early Life and Family

Ajay Devgn was born Vishal Veeru Devgan on 2 April 1969 in New Delhi, into a Punjabi Hindu family with roots in Amritsar. His father, Veeru Devgan, was a respected stunt choreographer and action-film director in the Hindi film industry, while his mother, Veena Devgan, worked as a film producer. Growing up on film sets gave him an early, practical education in action choreography and filmmaking.

He studied at Silver Beach High School in Juhu and later at Mithibai College, Mumbai. When he entered the industry in 1991, he dropped his birth name “Vishal” for “Ajay” because several other newcomers were launching under the same name that year; in August 2009 he also changed the spelling of his surname from Devgan to Devgn on the advice of a numerologist.

Ajay Devgn Career Journey

Action-Hero Debut and Rise (1991–1999)

Ajay Devgn debuted as a lead actor in Phool Aur Kaante (1991), an action-romance that became a major hit and won him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. He quickly followed it with Jigar (1992), among the year’s highest grossers, and a run of successful action films including Dilwale (1994), Suhaag (1994) and Diljale (1996). Naajayaz (1995) brought him his first Filmfare Best Actor nomination. The decade closed with the acclaimed Zakhm (1998), for which he won his first National Film Award for Best Actor, and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), a major ensemble success alongside Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai.

Versatile Actor and Critical Acclaim (2000–2009)

The 2000s saw Ajay Devgn diversify sharply, mixing commercial cinema with critically acclaimed, often dark roles. Company (2002) and The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002) — the latter earning him a second National Film Award for Best Actor — established him as one of the industry’s most respected performers. He played memorable villains in Deewangee (2002) and Khakee (2004), led the gritty cop drama Gangaajal (2003), and delivered a career-best performance in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Omkara (2006), an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello. Raincoat (2004) won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi, with Devgn as producer. In 2006 he also launched the Golmaal comedy franchise with Rohit Shetty, and in 2008 made his directorial debut with U Me Aur Hum.

Blockbuster Franchises: Singham, Golmaal, Total Dhamaal (2010–2019)

The 2010s cemented Ajay Devgn as a dependable box-office draw through multiple franchises. Rohit Shetty’s Singham (2011) introduced his iconic cop character Bajirao Singham, spawning Singham Returns (2014) and cameo appearances across the wider Cop Universe in Simmba (2018) and Sooryavanshi (2021). The Golmaal series continued with Golmaal 3 (2010) and Golmaal Again (2017), both major hits, while Total Dhamaal (2019) extended his comedy franchise work. He also won acclaim for the psychological thriller Drishyam (2015) and directed and produced the ambitious mythological drama Shivaay (2016), which also won a National Film Award for Best Special Effects through his VFX company, NY VFXWAALA.

Historical Epics and Directing Ventures (2020–2026)

Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior (2020), his 100th film, was the highest-grossing Bollywood release of its year and won him a third National Film Award for Best Actor as well as the National Award for Best Popular Film. He went on to direct the war drama Runway 34 (2022) and the action film Bholaa (2023), and appeared in extended cameos in RRR (2022) and Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022). Drishyam 2 (2022) became one of the biggest hits of his career, and Shaitaan (2024) and Singham Again (2024), the fifth film in Rohit Shetty’s Cop Universe, kept him at the top of the box office. He continued with Raid 2 (2025) and Dhamaal 4 (2026), and in October 2026 Drishyam: The Conclusion became the highest-grossing film of his career, crossing ₹500 crore worldwide.

Ajay Devgn Movies: Complete Filmography

Ajay Devgn has 146 film credits — 143 released and 3 upcoming — across lead roles, villainous turns, cameos, voice roles and productions in Hindi and other languages.

YearFilmRole
1991Phool Aur Kaante (Debut film; Filmfare Best Male Debut)Ajay Salgaonkar
1992JigarRaj “Raju” Verma
1993Divya ShaktiPrashant Varma
1993PlatformRaju
1993SangraamRaja S. Singh Kanwar
1993ShaktimanAmar Chauhan
1993Dil Hai BetaabAjay
1993Ek Hi RaastaKaran Singh
1993BedardiVijay Saxena
1993DhanwaanKashinath
1994DilwaleArun Saxena
1994KanoonVishal Singh
1994VijaypathKaran
1994SuhaagAjay Sharma / Ajay Malhotra
1995Naajayaz (First Filmfare Best Actor nomination)Jai Bakshi
1995HulchulDeva
1995GundarajAjay Chauhan
1995HaqeeqatShiva/Ajay
1996JungAjay Bahadur Saxena
1996JaanKaran Sharma
1996DiljaleShyam
1997ItihaasKaran Bakshi
1997IshqAjay Rai
1998Major SaabVirendra Pratap Singh
1998Pyaar To Hona Hi ThaShekhar Suryavanshi
1998Sar Utha Ke Jiyo (Cameo)Vishal / Raju
1998Zakhm (National Film Award – Best Actor)Ajay R. Desai
1999Kachche DhaageAftab
1999Hogi Pyaar Ki JeetRaju
1999Hum Dil De Chuke SanamVanraj
1999Hindustan Ki KasamAjay/Tauheed
1999Dil Kya KareAnand Kishore
1999GairVijay Kumar/Dev
1999ThakshakIshaan Singh
2000DeewaneVishal/Arun
2000Raju Chacha (First Ajay Devgn FFilms production)Shekhar/Raju Chacha
2001Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar KeRohit Verma / Vikram “Vicky” Malhotra
2001LajjaBhulwa
2001Tera Mera Saath RahenRaj Dixit
2002Company (Filmfare Critics Award)Malik
2002Hum Kisise Kum NahinRaja Sharma
2002The Legend of Bhagat Singh (National Film Award – Best Actor; Filmfare Critics Award)Bhagat Singh
2002Deewangee (Filmfare Best Villain)Tarang Bharadwaj / Ranjeet
2003BhootVishal Bhatia
2003Qayamat: City Under ThreatRachit
2003Chori ChoriRanbir Malhotra
2003GangaajalSP Amit Kumar
2003ParwanaParwana
2003ZameenLt. Col. Ranvir Singh Ranawat
2003LOC KargilCaptain Manoj Kumar Pandey
2004KhakeeYashwant Aangre
2004MastiInspector Sikander Tyagi
2004YuvaMichael “Mike” Mukherjee
2004Raincoat (National Film Award – Best Feature Film in Hindi)Manoj “Mannu” Tripathi
2004Taarzan: The Wonder Car (Special appearance)Deven Chaudhary
2005InsanAjit Rathore
2005BlackmailShekhar R. Mohan
2005Zameer: The Fire WithinSuraj Chauhan
2005Tango CharlieHawaldar Mohammad Ali “Mike Alpha”
2005KaalKaali Pratap Singh
2005Main Aisa Hi HoonIndraneel Thakur
2005ApaharanAjay Shastri
2005ShikharGaurav Gupta
2006Dharti Kahe Pukar Ke (Cameo)SP Kunal Singh
2006Golmaal: Fun Unlimited (Franchise starter)Gopal Kumar Santoshi
2006OmkaraOmkara “Omi” Shukla
2007CashKaran / Doc
2007AagHeerendra “Heero” Dhaan
2008Halla BolAshfaque Khan / Sameer Khan
2008SundayACP Rajveer Randhava
2008U Me Aur Hum (Directorial debut; also producer)Ajay Mehra
2008Haal-e-Dil (Guest appearance)Himself
2008MehboobaKaran Dhariwal
2008Golmaal ReturnsGopal Kumar Santoshi
2009All the Best: Fun Begins (Also producer)Prem Chopra
2009London DreamsArjun Joshi
2010Teen Patti (Cameo)Sunny
2010Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge?Puneet “Pappu” Bajpai
2010RaajneetiSooraj Kumar
2010Once Upon a Time in MumbaaiSultan Mirza
2010AakroshPratap Kumar
2010Golmaal 3Gopal Kumar Santoshi
2010Toonpur Ka Super Hero (Voice role)Aditya (voice)
2011Yamla Pagla DeewanaNarrator
2011Dil Toh Baccha Hai JiNaren Ahuja
2011Ready (Cameo)Raju
2011Singham (Franchise starter; Filmfare Best Actor nomination)Inspector Bajirao Singham
2011RascalsBhagat “Bhagu” Bhosle
2012TezzAakash Rana
2012Bol BachchanPrithviraj Raghuvanshi
2012Son of SardaarJaswinder Singh “Jassi” Randhawa
2012Makkhi (Telugu dubbed version)Father (voice)
2013Himmatwala (Remake; commercial failure)Ravi Verma
2013SatyagrahaManav Raghvendra
2013Mahabharat (Animated film)Arjuna (voice)
2014Singham ReturnsDCP Bajirao Singham
2014Action JacksonVishy / Jai (AJ)
2014Vitti Dandu (Marathi film; producer)Producer
2015Hey Bro (Special appearance)Himself
2015Drishyam (Major critical and commercial success)Vijay Salgaonkar
2016Fitoor (Cameo)Moazam
2016Shivaay (Also director and producer)Shivaay
2017Guest in London (Cameo)Ajay Gandotra
2017BaadshahoBhavani Singh
2017Poster Boys (Guest appearance)Himself
2017Golmaal Again (Blockbuster)Gopal Kumar Santoshi
2017Dhruva (Telugu dubbed version)ASP K. Dhruva, IPS
2018Aapla Manus (Guest appearance; first Marathi production)Himself
2018RaidAmay Patnaik
2018Helicopter Eela (Producer only)Producer
2018Simmba (Cameo)DCP Bajirao Singham
2019Total DhamaalGuddu Rastogi
2019De De Pyaar DeAshish Mehra
2020Tanhaji (100th film; National Film Award – Best Actor)Tanaji Malusare
2020Chhalaang (Producer only)Producer
2021Tribhanga (Producer only)Producer
2021The Big Bull (Producer only)Producer
2021Bhuj: The Pride of IndiaSquadron Leader Vijay Karnik
2021Sooryavanshi (Cameo)DCP Bajirao Singham
2021Velle (Guest appearance)Himself
2022Gangubai Kathiawadi (Cameo)Rahim Lala
2022RRR (Telugu film; cameo)Alluri Sitarama Raju
2022Runway 34 (Directorial venture)Capt. Vikrant Khanna
2022Thank GodChitragupt “CG”
2022Drishyam 2 (Major box-office hit)Vijay Salgaonkar
2022Ponniyin Selvan: I (Tamil dubbed version)Narrator
2023Bholaa (Directorial venture)Bholaa
2024Article 370Narrator
2024Shaitaan (Box-office hit)Kabir Rishi
2024Maidaan (Biopic; National Award-nominated role)Syed Abdul Rahim
2024Auron Mein Kahan Dum ThaKrishna
2024Singham Again (Rohit Shetty Cop Universe)DCP Bajirao Singham
2024Naam (Delayed release; filmed in 2004)Shekhar / Michael / Amar Kumar
2025Azaad (Cameo in nephew Aaman Devgn’s debut)Vikram Singh
2025ChhaavaNarrator
2025Raid 2 (Sequel to Raid)Amay Patnaik
2025Maa (Producer only)Producer
2025Son of Sardaar 2Jaswinder Singh “Jassi” Randhawa
2025De De Pyaar De 2Ashish “Ashu” Mehra
2025Karate Kid: Legends – English-language film (Hindi dub)Mr. Han
2026Shatak: Sangh Ke 100 VarshNarrator
2026Dhamaal 4Guddu Rastogi
2026Drishyam: The Conclusion (Highest-grossing film of his career)Vijay Salgaonkar
2026Ranger (Upcoming; 4 December 2026)Forest officer
2027Chauhaan (Upcoming)Undisclosed
UpcomingGolmaal 5 (Announced)Gopal Kumar Santoshi
UpcomingUntitled film (Announced)Undisclosed

Ajay Devgn Awards and Achievements

YearAwardNote
1991Filmfare Award – Best Male DebutPhool Aur Kaante
1998National Film Award – Best ActorZakhm
2002National Film Award – Best ActorThe Legend of Bhagat Singh
2002Filmfare Award – Best VillainDeewangee
2004National Film Award – Best Feature Film in Hindi (Producer)Raincoat
2016Padma ShriCivilian honour, Government of India
2017National Film Award – Best Special Effects (NY VFXWAALA)Shivaay
2021National Film Award – Best ActorTanhaji: The Unsung Warrior
2021National Film Award – Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome EntertainmentTanhaji: The Unsung Warrior

Ajay Devgn Personal Life

Ajay Devgn married actress Kajol on 24 February 1999, after the two met on the sets of Gundaraj (1995). The couple have two children: daughter Nysa Devgan, born in 2003, and son Yug Devgan, born in 2010. The family’s VFX company, NY VFXWAALA, is named after Nysa and Yug.

Devgn is known for keeping a low public profile away from film promotions and has described himself as uncomfortable in the media spotlight. He is a practicing Shaiva Hindu and is often seen wearing a rudraksha.

Ajay Devgn Net Worth

Ajay Devgn has built multiple sources of income beyond acting, including film fees, production through Devgn Films, visual-effects work through NY VFXWAALA, cinema exhibition and brand endorsements. His business interests have expanded across film production, VFX and cinemas over the years.

Estimated Net Worth: Approximately ₹425 crore.

Net worth figures are estimates based on publicly reported information, such as media reports, published rich lists and election affidavits. They are not audited financial statements and may not account for liabilities, family holdings or changes in asset values.

Lesser-Known Facts About Ajay Devgn

  • His birth name was Vishal Veeru Devgan; he adopted “Ajay” in 1991 because several debutants that year shared the name Vishal.
  • He changed the spelling of his surname from Devgan to Devgn in August 2009 on numerological advice.
  • His father, Veeru Devgan, choreographed stunts for countless Hindi films and directed action sequences before becoming a director himself.
  • He founded the VFX company NY VFXWAALA in 2015, named after his children Nysa and Yug, which has worked on films like Bajirao Mastani and Dilwale (2015).
  • He is one of very few Bollywood stars never to have needed a “comeback” film despite a career of more than three decades.
  • He has lent his voice to animated characters, including Arjuna in Mahabharat (2013) and the title car in Toonpur Ka Super Hero (2010).

Legacy and Impact

Ajay Devgn has sustained one of Hindi cinema’s longest unbroken runs of commercial relevance, moving fluidly between intense dramatic roles, comic franchises and large-scale action spectacles without a career slump. As an actor, director and producer, he has helped shape some of Bollywood’s most durable franchises — Golmaal, Singham and Drishyam — while his National Award-winning performances in films like Zakhm and The Legend of Bhagat Singh have secured his reputation as a serious, versatile performer.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ajay Devgn

Who is Ajay Devgn?

Ajay Devgn is an Indian actor, film director and producer, and one of Hindi cinema’s leading stars since his 1991 debut.

How old is Ajay Devgn?

He was born on 2 April 1969, making him 57 years old as of 2026.

How many movies has Ajay Devgn done?

He has 146 film credits in total, of which 143 have been released and 3 are upcoming.

What was Ajay Devgn’s first movie?

His first film was Phool Aur Kaante (1991), which also won him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut.

How many National Film Awards has Ajay Devgn won?

He has won three National Film Awards for Best Actor (Zakhm, The Legend of Bhagat Singh, Tanhaji), plus further National Awards as a producer and for visual effects.

Is Ajay Devgn married?

Yes, he has been married to actress Kajol since 24 February 1999, and the couple have two children, Nysa and Yug.

What are Ajay Devgn’s upcoming movies?

His upcoming films are Ranger (4 December 2026), Golmaal 5 (January 2027) and Chauhaan (1 October 2027).

Final Summary

From the action romances of the early 1990s to the historical epics and franchise blockbusters of the 2020s, Ajay Devgn has built a filmography defined by range and reliability. With three National Film Awards for acting, a Padma Shri, and franchises like Golmaal, Singham and Drishyam still running, he remains one of Hindi cinema’s most consistent and respected stars.

Fresh off the record-breaking success of Drishyam: The Conclusion, with Ranger and Golmaal 5 on the way, and more than three decades after Phool Aur Kaante, Ajay Devgn continues to be among the most bankable and versatile names in Indian cinema.

Similar profiles

View all celebrity biographies →

Last updated