A fight master in real life too!
Virender Harjidas Devgan, nee Veeru (1934 –2019) was a celebrated Bollywood stuntman, action choreographer, film director, actor, producer, and screenplay writer. From a self-effacing stand-in stuntman, he rose to be one of the most prominent action directors, bringing in innovative action sequences, executing them to perfection.
Always ahead of his time, despite a technologically-challenged environment, he left his mark at a time when pure action, without VFX, was the order of the day. As mentor, he created job opportunities for innumerable stuntmen.
In 1957, aged 14, he left Amritsar and moved to Bombay along with friends dreaming of becoming successful and famous. They travelled by train to Mumbai ticketless. Consequently, caught by the police at Virar station they were taken to a Magistrate, where, they were told to either pay the whole fine or spend a week in the lock-up. Due to the lack of money, they opted for prison.
Reaching Mumbai, they realised that life was not that rosy. While his friends left, he continued, subsisting on jobs as car cleaner to carpenter and made rounds of film studios seeking a career in Hindi films. Soon he realized acting wasn’t for him and looked for alternatives in the same industry. He started learning martial arts and thus began his journey as a Bollywood stuntman with the film Anita.
He later worked as fight master in many films, and stuntman to many noted Bollywood heroes. With his appreciable work, he became an action choreographer in 1974 with the film Roti, Kapda Aur Makaan, thanks to the break given by Manoj Kumar.
As a producer, he produced Hindustan Ki Kasam, Dil Kya Kare and Singhasan. As an assistant director and co-producer, he worked on Vishwatma and Mera Patti Sirf Mera Hai. He is also credited with the grand debut film entry in the 1991 Phool Aur Kaante, of Ajay who did the iconic bike split scene for the first-time riding on two bikes.
In 1992, he wrote the script for the film Jigar, starring Ajay Devgan of a fighter battling odds. He made his directorial debut with Hindustan Ki Kasam (1999) starring his son Ajay Devgn and Amitabh Bachchan. Although an expensive film of that time, it flopped but he tried to shoot never-before seen action scenes far better than Bollywood was used to.
His body of work included more than 200 iconic films, like Kranti, Mr. Natwarlal, Mr. India, Shahenshah, Tridev, Lal Baadshah, Prem Granth, Khoon Bhari Maang, Boxer, Shahenshah, Dilwale, Jigar, Himmatwala, Phool Aur Kaante, Ek Khiladi Bawan Pattey, Dil Kya Kare, Khatron Ke Khiladi, etc. As an actor, he also did small roles in films, Sourabh, and Singhasan and Kranti. Veeru won the Zee Cine Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
Ajay termed his father the true Singham in his life. “He is a man who came to Bombay at that point in time with Rs. 4 in his pocket, wanting to become something, struggled, washed and lived in taxis, did not eat food for eight days at times, worked hard, became a street fighter from there till Ravi Khanna saw him and asked him whether he would become a fight director. From there, his growth from nowhere to becoming India’s topmost action director is remarkable.”
He further added, “I have seen him getting so much respect that some of the biggest actors would touch his feet, wanting to work with him. By the time I was born, he had enough money. He has 50 stitches in his head and has broken every bone in his body.”
He was a kind man with a great sense of humour and extremely professional. To him, the safety of actors and his fighters’ team was of utmost importance. Due to poor health and old age issues, he rarely made public appearances. He passed away of cardiac arrest, aged 85.
A.Radhakrishnan is a Pune based freelance journalist, poet and short story writer.