2024 AD

Ajay Devgn

It could well be the year of Ajay Devgn. After having only one release in Bholaa last year, the superstar has five movies lined up in 2024. Call it a coincidence or what you may, but three of them are set to release in quick succession over one-and-a-half months. While supernatural thriller Shaitaan hits the marquee on March 8, director Amit R Sharma's sports drama Maidaan follows on Eid in April, before Devgn rounds off the month with the romantic drama, Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha opposite Tabu. So, will Devgn's hat-trick of movies affect one another?

Shaitaan is slated to hit the screens on March 8, followed by the Eid release, Maidaan.

Trade analyst Atul Mohan admits it's a unique situation in the actor's three-decade career. But he believes two factors work in Devgn's favour. "Ajay is an intelligent actor and understands commercial cinema well. What works in his favour is that the three movies belong to different genres. Secondly, besides Ajay, we don't have any big stars' offerings this year, be it Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Ranbir Kapoor or Ranveer Singh [barring the extended cameo in Singham Again]. So, his films are something to look forward to," explains Mohan.

Devgn will round off April with Neeraj Pandey's Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha opposite Tabu

Film distributor and multiplex owner Raj Bansal notes that actors are sometimes helpless at the producers' decision regarding release dates. "No star would want his movies to come in close succession. But Maidaan was being deferred for the past two years, and now, it's coming in April. A gap of 10-12 weeks between releases is necessary, but having said that, once a film is a hit, we'll forget everything else."

While trade analyst Komal Nahata echoes Bansal's sentiment, he also points out that the scenario will hardly affect an actor of Devgn's stature, one of the biggest stars of Hindi cinema currently. "Ideally, movies should be spaced out. But while the box-office performance of films may affect a star's status, the release schedules do not."

After a busy summer, Devgn will return to the big screen in August with Rohit Shetty's Singham Again, before ending the year with Raid 2. Exhibitor Akshaye Rathi reflects, "Surely, 2024 is the year of Ajay Devgn. I'm hoping that at least one movie will move to May or June. What affects every exhibitor is if the fatigue kicks in with the same actor coming up on screen, and in the worst-case scenario, it may result in the audience diminishing. If a superstar's movie doesn't do well, it's a huge opportunity lost for all of us. That said, I'm not skeptical here - if the movies are solid, they will work. I hope all three turn out to be blockbusters."