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    Veeru Devgan, Veteran Action Director And Father Of Ajay, Dies At 85

    Darpan News Desk IANS, 27 May, 2019 06:23 PM

      Veteran Bollywood action director Veeru Devgan, father of actor Ajay Devgn, died here on Monday, family sources said. He was 85.

       

      Veeru Devgan breathed his last at a hospital here due to age-related issues and cardiac arrest, according to informed sources.

       

      A large number of Bollywood personalities attended the funeral at the Vile Parle Crematorium here in the evening.

       

      A runaway lured by love for the world of glamour and films, Veeru came from Amritsar to Mumbai to become an actor but went on to become an acclaimed action choreographer with over 80 films under his belt.

       
       

      Though his own dream of working as a mega-actor remained unfulfilled, his son Ajay made it big in Bollywood and is ranked among the most successful and versatile action-cum-emotion stars.

       

      Veeru directed actions, fights and stunts for some of the top actors Dilip Kumar, Rajendra Kumar, Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Vinod Khanna, Anil Kapoor and others, said Tina Films Associate Director Ramya V. Iyer.

       
       

      "He was in great demand from the top actors. During the shooting of 'Himmatwala', Veeru was not available for directing the action scenes and the director wanted to hire Tinu Anand. However, Jeetendra spoke with Veeru and convinced him to come and take up the film," veteran Bollywood film-maker A. Krishnamurthi told IANS.

       

      Iyer said he had the knack of bringing new techniques in action scenes and kept upbreast with ever-changing technological advances in the world of action.

       

      He could make the most impossible and hair-raising action scenes appear simple and actors used to observe him closely at work.

       
       

      One of Veeru's memorable action scenes was filmed on his son Ajay's debut film, "Phool Aur Kaante" (1991) in which the new actor was seen balancing himself on two motorcycles, which became popular among the youth.

       

      Later, he turned director with the film "Hindustan Ki Kasam" (1999) starring Amitabh Bachchan and son Ajay and actress Manisha Koirala and Sushmita Sen.

       

      His important action sequences were in films like "Inkaar" (1977), "Mr Natwarlal" (1979), "Kranti" (1981), "Himmatwala" (1983), "Mr. India" (1987), "Shahenshah" (1988), "Tridev" (1989), "Baap Numbri Beta Dus Numbri (1990), "Phool Aur Kaante" (1991), "Dilwale" (1994) and "Laal Badshah" (1999), in which Bachchan played a double role.

       
       

      Earlier, leading members of the film fraternity including Shah Rukh Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Sajid Khan, Mahesh Bhatt and Harry Baweja visted the Devgan residence to pay condolences.

       

      Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta said he was really "saddened to hear about Veeru Devganji".

       

      "I had the honour and pleasure of working with him in my (early) days as an assistant director. He was a fabulous human being and a master technician who always had a smile on his face. May God bless his soul," he tweeted.

       

      Filmmaker Anees Bazmee, who worked with Veeru Devgan in the 1997 film "Sanam", tweeted: "My heartfelt condolences to Ajay, Kajol and the family. There will be no better action director than you Veeruji. Will miss you."

       
       

      Veteran actor Anupam Kher wrote: "Deeply saddened to know about the passing away of Veeru Devganji. Worked with him in so many movies. He was a great action director. To him, the safety of actors and his fighters team was of utmost importance. A kind man with a great sense of humour."

       

      "Sad to know that veteran action director Veeru Devganji is no more. He was a genius in choreographing fights on the big screen when there were no facilities available. My heartfelt condolences to Ajay Devgn and the entire family," filmmaker Ashoke Pandit tweeted.

       

      "RIP Veeru Devganji. A legend of Hindi cinema. Left his mark at a time when 'pure action' without VFX was the order of the day. Heartfelt condolences to Ajay Devgn and Kajol. May his soul rest in peace," Kunal Kohli wrote.

       
       
       

      SAFETY WAS VEERU DEVGAN'S TOP PRIORITY: B-TOWN

       
       

      Back in the days when technology was not as advanced as today, Veeru Devgan choreographed some of the most interesting action sequences for Bollywood, making his actors' and stuntmen's safety top priority.

       

      The Hindi film fraternity remembered all this and more about the veteran, who died here on Monday at the age of 85.

       

      Remembering Veeru as a responsible director, actress Madhuri Dixit Nene told IANS: "He was such a caring action director who used to encourage us, but at the same time was very cautious about our safety. When he choreographed an action scene, he kept the safety in mind. He was such a wonderful human being."

       
       

      Actor-director Satish Kaushik, who had worked with him as an actor and director, was emotional after he returned from the funeral of his "Veeru paaji".

       

      "He was such a gentleman. He was a 'Punjab ka puttar' in the true sense and had a huge heart. Everyone loved him so much... It was very sad to see him go away today," Satish Kaushik told IANS.

       
       

      Actor Anupam Kher called Veeru a "great action director" who always gave top importance to the "safety of actors and his fighter team".

       

      Veeru is best known for directing action sequences for films like "Himmatwala", "Mr. India", "Khatron Ke Khiladi", "Phool Aur Kaante", "Dilwale" and "Laal Badshah". He had also helmed the 1999 film "Hindustan Ki Kasam", starring his son Ajay Devgn and megastar Amitabh Bachchan.

       
       

      As the news of his demise broke, members of the film fraternity Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan, Sanjay Dutt, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Sajid Khan, Mahesh Bhatt and Harry Baweja visited the Devgan residence to pay condolences. Some even took to social media to pay tributes.

       

      Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt tweeted: "Veeru Devgan and I began our career together in the 1970s. 'Make Ajay a great actor,' I remember him telling me after Ajay's debut film became a big hit. "Ajay and I finally worked together in 'Zakhm', which won him his first National Award."

       

      Actor Aamir Khan said Veeru was "extremely professional". He had worked with him in the movie "Ishq". "I'm very sad to hear about Veeruji passing away. I had the pleasure and privilege of working with Veeruji. He was an amazing person to work with, extremely professional and one of the best in his field," he added.

       
       

      said Bollywood's action star Akshay Kumar: "Extremely sad to hear about the demise of Veeru Devgan, one of the finest action directors of our industry. My heartfelt condolences to Ajay Devgn and family."

       

      Sanjay said he was a "gem of a person and extremely gifted".

       

      Here's what other film fraternity members wrote:

       
       

      Kunal Kohli: RIP Veeru Devganji. A legend of Hindi cinema. Left his mark at a time when 'pure action' without VFX was the order of the day. Heartfelt condolences to Ajay Devgn and Kajol. May his soul rest in peace.

       

      Suniel Shetty: Deeply saddened to hear about the demise of a great man Veeru Devgan! You are in our thoughts and prayers. My deepest and heartfelt condolences to you Ajay, Kajol and your family.

       
       

      Varun Dhawan: RIP Veeru Devgan, heartfelt condolences to the Devgan family.

       

      Rahul Dev: Saddened to know about the passing away of Veeru Devganji, best described as a great action director and a kind man.

       

      Aneez Bazmee: There will be no better action director than you Veeruji. Will miss you.

       

      Abbas Mustan: Our heartfelt condolences to Ajay, Kajol and the entire family on the sad demise of Veeru Devganji. May his soul rest in peace.

       
       
       
       
       
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