BOMBAY TIMES (June 2, 2016)
To say that his Diwali release Shivaay is Ajay Devgn's most ambitious venture to date would be stating the obvious. Through the filming of this emotional drama, he upped the ante at every level. The film, which has a humongous budget, has also embraced 'scale' by including unbelievable stunts, all of which have been shot on real locations.
The actor beat a bout of hypothermia while shooting at the Vihren Peak in the Pirin Mountains of Bansko in Bulgaria, where temperatures were minus 19 degrees Celsius. He says, “Like most others, I have a terrible fear of heights. Yet, when the challenge of shooting at the highest peak came, instead of playing safe, I decided I wanted real action. I had to shock myself. The mind and body don't work when the temperature around is minus 19 degrees Celsius. But my unit and I had to step out of our own comfort zone to make something new and special.''
Ask him if such dare-devilry and risks were really worth taking and the Bollywood superstar replies, “The greatest form of creativity is reinventing yourself. I have pushed the envelope on many occasions as far as action goes. But this was something else. When I saw the footage on my monitor after the shoot, I couldn't believe we had done it. As I said earlier, while shooting in those extreme conditions, my mind was numb. But watching the footage gave me an adrenaline rush. Somewhere deep down, I'm happy that the 'daredevil' in me is still alive.“
The actor beat a bout of hypothermia while shooting at the Vihren Peak in the Pirin Mountains of Bansko in Bulgaria, where temperatures were minus 19 degrees Celsius. He says, “Like most others, I have a terrible fear of heights. Yet, when the challenge of shooting at the highest peak came, instead of playing safe, I decided I wanted real action. I had to shock myself. The mind and body don't work when the temperature around is minus 19 degrees Celsius. But my unit and I had to step out of our own comfort zone to make something new and special.''
Ask him if such dare-devilry and risks were really worth taking and the Bollywood superstar replies, “The greatest form of creativity is reinventing yourself. I have pushed the envelope on many occasions as far as action goes. But this was something else. When I saw the footage on my monitor after the shoot, I couldn't believe we had done it. As I said earlier, while shooting in those extreme conditions, my mind was numb. But watching the footage gave me an adrenaline rush. Somewhere deep down, I'm happy that the 'daredevil' in me is still alive.“