Ash, Ajay put on Raincoat

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><script language="javascript">doweshowbellyad=0; </script><br />There''s a lot of Bangla these days in Ajay Devgan''s life. Apart from the fact that wife Kajol can trace her roots back to the land of Tagore, the actor has also ended up making more trips to Kolkata than to any other place in the last one year.<br /></div> <div align="left" style="position:relative; left: -2"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" align="left" border="1" width="47.6%"> <colgroup> <col width="100.0%" /> </colgroup> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal"><span style="" font-size:=""><a href="javascript:popUp(&quot1;/photopop/msid-123990,type-0.cms&quot1;)"> <img border="0" align="left" src="/thumb.cms?msid=123990&height=208&width=208" hspace="12" /></a></span></div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal"><span style="" font-size:="">Ajay’s last turn on the big screen was in </span><span style="" font-size:="" font-style:="" italic="">Khakee</span><span style="" font-size:="">.</span></div> </td> </tr> </table></div> <div class="Normal">First, it was to shoot for Mani Ratnam''s <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Yuva</span>, then he was signed by Aparna Sen for her <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Gulel</span> and now it''s Rituparno Ghosh making his foray into Hindi films with <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Raincoat</span>. <br /><br />"I think it''s just coincidence," says Ajay dismissively. "But I am enjoying myself." While Ajay is reluctant to reveal details about his role in Ghosh''s film, his Bengali director is more than willing to share the story of his film. <br /><br />"It''s about two estranged lovers," says Ghosh. "She is married, he is not. Ajay plays a defeated person who arrives in Kolkata for some work and ends up meeting Aishwarya. It''s about their relationship." For those searching for the <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Raincoat</span>, Ghosh assures that it plays a significant role in the film. <br /><br />As for casting Ajay, the filmmaker points to the actor''s versatility. "He''s such a good actor," explains Ghosh. "I think so far we have mostly seen him in tough-guy roles. I want to show his sensitive side." <br /><br /><formid=367815><br /><br /></formid=367815></div> </div><div class="section2"><div class="Normal"><br />For Ghosh, the decision to cast Bollywood actors was a logical one. "I realised that by making a Hindi film I get to tap talent at a national level," he says. "As for making a Hindi film, I also realised that my Hindi was better than their Bengali." <br /><br />The only handicap for him, in making <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Raincoat</span>, has been that he can''t write in Hindi. "So I wrote the entire script in Bengali and then got people in Kolkata who know Hindi to work on the translation. And then Ajay has been a big help too." <br /><br />Ghosh is the second director after Aparna Sen to cast Ajay. "But I don''t know what''s happening to <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Gulel</span>," says the actor about the film that seems to be stuck in a limbo following the parting of ways between Aparna and the film''s original producer, Pritish Nandy Communications. <br /><br />"I am making a conscious effort to look for projects that help me explore different kinds of roles," he elaborates. His last turn on the big screen was in <span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Khakee</span> as the bad guy. "A lot of people liked the idea of me doing such a role and some didn''t. <br /><br />But I don''t care much about an image anymore." And he''s not entirely blind to the box office. "<span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Raincoat</span> is a multiplex film and that''s got quite an audience these days.<br /><br /><formid=367815><br /></formid=367815></div> </div>