Witnessing a surprising moment in Indian cinema during the 2000s, moviegoers were stunned when three films about the same life story based on the socialist revolutionary Bhagat Singh were released around the same time. In June 2002, audiences were treated to Ajay Devgn’s The Legend of Bhagat Singh (7 June 2002), Sonu Sood’s 23rd March 1931: Shaheed (7 June 2002) and Bobby Deol’s Shaheed-E-Azam (31 May 2002), which all premiered within a week of each other, creating an unexpected competition.
In an exclusive throwback interview with Lehren Podcast, Ajay Devgn, who played the legendary Bhagat Singh, shared his thoughts about the challenges he faced during the filming and his views on the rivalry between the three movies. He explained how much he resembles with Bhagat Singh. “It has nothing to do with resemblance; doing justice to the role is important,” he stated. Ajay passionately discussed how Bhagat Singh’s revolutionary spirit inspired him and considered how different India might be if Bhagat Singh had survived post independence. “If he would be there, the whole political scenario would be changed. I blame the basic things that are going wrong in our country from communal rights to everything,” he said.
Given the surprising release of three films about the same historical figure, Ajay was asked which one he thought would connect best with the audience, especially since all filmmakers worked very hard on their projects. He replied, “Sahi baat hai, sabne apni mehnat ki hai, sabne apni honesty dikayi hai aur ab audience decide karegi ki kiski film ne jyada research work kiya hai aur kiski film film is closer to the character and fir public vo film dekegi. Its fair.” This means that the audience will ultimately choose which film comments with them the most.
When the asked if he would watch all three films as an audience member, Ajay said, “I’m not the audience, so I don’t know, because I’m a part of one of the films.” Still, he acknowledged that the box office results are important, emphasizing that it’s up to the audience to decide which film they found to be the best.
While these films did not perform well at the box office, they later gained a cult following. For more insights from Ajay Devgn about his role, the films and Bhagat Singh’s legacy, can check out the full interview below.
Additionally, talking about the competition, Ajay noted, “I don’t know what people are doing, but this (the film ‘The Legend of Bhagat Singh’) was planned three years ago,” insisting that they did not intend to compete with anyone and that their film was in the works long before the others.
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