31 years of Ajay Devgn: 5 memorable performances of the actor

Ajay Devgn who made his debut in 1991 with 'Phool Aur Kaante' completes 31 years in the industry today. The actor has come a long way, even turned producer and director during this journey. Ajay who is one of the biggest stars of the country, has given the audience many performances to remember. It's not been easy to choose just five films in this 31-year old journey, but here's picking out the most memorable ones! Moreover, these films also proved to be milestones in his career.

Ajay Devgn's series of critically-acclaimed, off-beat performances started largely with 'Zakhm'. The film left a mark on many and over the years continues to be remembered for the depth of it. The film revolves around Ajay's struggle to bury his mother (played by Pooja Bhatt) as per her last wishes since she was a Muslim but had hidden her identity and lived like a Hindu all her life since she married and had children with a Hindu man (played by Nagarjuna). 'Zakhm' was directed by Mahesh Bhatt and Ajay had won his first national award for this film.

Many actors have played Bhagat Singh, but Ajay's portrayal of the freedom fighter continues to be the most memorable. The actor won his second national award for this film again. The film was loved for its narrative and also AR Rahman's music. Over the years, Bhagat Singh continues to be one of the most remembered characters of Ajay Devgn's career.

Ram Gopal Varma's 'Company' brought out Ajay Devgn in a never-seen-before avatar. The film portrayed Ajay in such a larger-than-life character (despite being a gangster), for the first time. The audience fell more in love with him and his understated personality after this film. Somehow, Ajay has the knack of performing so much through his eyes more than the dialogues and not many actors are able to pull off broody, under-stated characters that leave you in awe, so convincingly.

Vishal Bhardwaj's 'Omkara' also continues to remain one of his career-defining roles. The film which was an adaptation of 'Othello' had Ajay in the titular role. This character was starkly different from his previous roles. But the film was also a risk and off-beat for all the actors in it like Kareena Kapoor Khan and especially Saif Ali Khan who played the character of Langda Tyaagi.

Ajay brought in his own charm to the character of Sultan Mirza in 'Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai'. From his white clothes to dialogues and the walk - his character in the film became a part of the pop culture and people continue to remember these small details in the film. He brought his own individuality and put life into the character and hence, it was loved so immensely by the audience.

Some of his other performances in films like 'Raincoat', 'Gangajal', 'Apharan' and the recent 'Tanhaji The Unsung Hero' also deserve a special mention apart from his commercial, massy entertainers like 'Singham' and 'Golmaal'.