‘Best’ friends to step on comedy pedal again

One is a hot-shot actor-turned-film-maker. The other, a director with two blockbusters. The deep bond between Ajay Devgn and Rohit Shetty is a relationship between equals.
It has withstood time, fame and misfortune and is today the force behind Devgn Films��� All The Best, a Diwali (October 16) release. ���The first slab of this friendship was laid when I started my career with Phool Aur Kaante 18 years ago,������ says Ajay.���Rohit was an assistant to my father Veeru Devgn and we started our interaction on that set.������
As time elapsed, Ajay became a superstar, and Rohit slowly found his own feet. The two collaborated on the action flick Zameen in 2003. The film flopped, but their bond grew stronger. They struck gold when they pooled their talent for Golmaal. And they then made a sequel called Golmaal Returns, a film that broke several box office records in 2008.
���Ajay is my best friend,������ says Rohit, ���but he is also my best producer. I couldn���t have made All The Best on the scale that it has been, had it not been for Ajay���s generosity and vision. He never questions my decisions as a technician. He gives me a free hand to tell a story the way I wish to. He does not compromise on budgets for songs or action sequences.������
The director feels All The Best has turned into a Diwali extravaganza because it has all the right ingredients ��� great comedy, superb action, a story at the core, lavishly-picturised songs ��� to stand out as a complete family entertainer. A huge Manmohan Desai fan, Rohit says, ���If you followed his work right from Chhalia, Bluff-Master, Amar, Akbar Anthony, Coolie and Mard ��� you���ll realise how he made complete entertainers with a good dose of comedy, action and emotion. I have made his style my mantra.������ For Ajay, Rohit���s wish is his command. So both friends have decided they���ll continue making family entertainers, no matter what.