Devgan bags best actor award once again

Two national awards for best actor in three years went to Devgan first in the year 2000 for his role in Mahesh Bhatt directed film "Zakhm (The Wound) and last month for his portrayal of the legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh in period piece "The Legend of Shaheed Bhagat Singh" by Raj Kumar Santoshi.

But there was no jubilation no ear-to-ear smile across Devgan's face nor did champagne flow when the news of winning the best actor award for his role in "The Legend of Shaheed Bhagat Singh" reached him in the midst of a shooting in Bombay for another film directed by Santoshi.

Devgan, 34, was happy but he is not the one to show it off for the simple reason that he does not believe in resting on awards and accolades. That is the way Devgan, son of Hindi film stuntman Veeru, has always been since he made his debut in films in 1991 with "Phool Aur Kaante."

He takes praise in his stride. "I believe actions ought to speak louder than words. I just want to concentrate on my work because at the end of the day, it is your performance, which counts," said the actor after winning he national award for the second time.

It is this attitude which has earned Devgan the reputation of being one of the most level-headed Bollywood superstars and propelled his career graph higher and higher. He has only gone from strength to strength, prompting more and more offers not only from Hindi commercial film-makers but also from directors of meaningful cinema like Govind Nihalani, Prakash Jha and most likely from Aparna Sen.

Devgan has a special place in his heart for the role of Bhagat Singh. "It was a dream role. I have admired Bhagat Singh since childhood. Bhagat Singh has not been given his due by posterity," said the actor.

"I could not afford to go wrong in essaying the role of Bhagat Singh," said Devgan who went through tons of writings on the liberation war hero before going in for acting in "The Legend of Shaheed Bhagat Singh."

The award-winning performance in the period film must have come as doubly sweeter for Devgan for when it was released in commercial circuit in India last year, it was in race with four other films which were also released almost at the same time on the same personality.

One of the reasons for Devgan's success is that he is not a typical glamour romantic hero with a chocolate boy image. Close to truth is perhaps his slight anti-hero look and his sincerity in efforts to portray the roles he is playing.

Devgan's growth as an actor has wowed Prakash Jha and Aparna Sen. Aparna Sen has already had preliminary talks for roping in Devgan for her next directorial venture in Hindi although no final decision has yet been taken.

Although Devgan has earned wide critical acclaim as an actor, his stint as a producer has not been a hit. The two films he has produced so far, including one for children "Raju Chacha," has not been a success.

For now, Devgan seems to have little time to view himself as a producer given his rising graph as an actor.