My work should make my daughter proud

From his first film, "Phool Aur Kaante", to his recent releases, including "Company", "GangaaJal" and "Omkara", the actor has always impressed audiences with his versatility. However, he isn't comfortable talking about his achievements.

"This is the way I am and I don't want to change myself. I've tried to get media savvy, but it makes me uncomfortable. I'm a happy man the way I am. As long as I can look back on my career and say I did everything on my own terms, I've no reason to regret," says Ajay, whose directorial debut "U, Me Aur Hum" came out recently.

"I look at my career as an investment. I hope to look back 20 years from now and make my daughter proud of what I've done. I really believe there's no point in talking about yourself. As long as you know about my achievements, there's really very little point proclaiming them from rooftops," Ajay told IANS.

The most important thing is to be honest to your work, says the actor.

"Don't expect the world to bow to your whims just because you're successful today. Success can be lost any time. Those who create an unnecessary hype around their careers know it's not for real. I wonder what satisfaction they get out of it!

"It all depends on the kind of people you have around you. If you've people constantly telling you how great you are, then that's not healthy for you."

He gets sentimental about his association with his friend and associate producer Kumar Mangat.

"Our partnership is more emotional than monetary. We've been together from the time I came into this industry. He was close to my father as well. He's an honest guy and someone I can trust. So why should I not have him in my life? "

Now Ajay's brother Raju Devgan is directing a film for Kumar Mangat.

"It's a film with newcomers in which Kumar Mangat's daughter Amita Pathak is being launched...These are not people I've come to know yesterday. They've been with me from the time I came into the industry. They didn't change after I became successful. So why should I?"

Ajay is a fearless actor.

"I'm not scared of any competition and I'm not scared of making mistakes. I want to grow as an actor. And the only way to grow is to take risks. In 'Omkara', I didn't want to do the negative role. I had recently done negative characters a couple of times in 'Khakee', etc. So I didn't want to get into that area again so soon.

"So when Vishal Bharadwaj told me he couldn't imagine anyone playing Othello, I was very happy. Between Saif Ali Khan and me I think mine was the more difficult role."

On the one hand Ajay did a sombre "Omkara", while on the other he did a silly comedy like "Golmaal - Fun Unlimited".

"I wouldn't call it silly. Filmmaking is also about entertainment. I love doing a 'Golmaal' side by side with 'Omkara'. I need that kind of excitement and range in my career. I'm an impatient man. I get bored easily. 'Golmaal' worked at the box office and that means it connected with the audience."

Ajay, who has teamed up with actors like Saif Ali Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan, doesn't feel uncomfortable working with anybody.

"I've never had problems working with any actor. If you don't barge into other actors' space they won't barge into yours. That's my survival mantra."