3 min readMumbaiMay 13, 2026 09:45 PM IST
One of the lesser-known films in Ajay Devgn’s filmography is Mahesh Bhatt’s seminal Zakhm. Over the years, the film has only grown in stature and has become increasingly relevant in today’s times. It is perhaps fitting that it was the penultimate film helmed by Bhatt, as it is arguably his finest work, a film for which he will be remembered for generations to come.
‘I am having a bath’
Recently, in a conversation with Variety India, Ajay Devgn opened up about how he landed the cult classic. When asked if he had ever read a film script overnight, he said, “I don’t remember reading any script overnight; but I do remember this one time, while shooting in Hyderabad. At the time, there were no mobile phones. I was in the shower. The hotel’s bathroom landline rang, I received it and it was Bhatt Saab (Mahesh Bhatt) on the line.”
He then described how the film was pitched to him: “He told me, ‘I want you to do a film for me,’ and I said, ‘Bhatt Saab, I am having a bath, can I call you back?’ He said, ‘No, no, one second and it will take me two minutes.’ In two minutes, he narrated Zakhm and I said, ‘Now, can I have a shower? Let me go, I am doing the film.’”
Devgn also recalled Bhatt’s unwavering belief in him when few others did: “My first film hadn’t released and I was standing outside my dad’s office. A car was passing by and Bhatt Saab remarked, ‘I looked into your eyes while the car was moving. You are going to do great, trust me on that.’ That felt amazing, too.”
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‘Had the toughest time to release Zakhm’
Bhatt himself had previously spoken about the challenges of making Zakhm, which co-starred Pooja Bhatt, Sonali Bendre, Kunal Khemu, and Nagarjuna Akkineni, especially during a time when the ruling establishment was against it. At an event in 2014, he said, “The NDA was in power at that time. I was told that I must be mad to make that film. I had the toughest time to release it. It took a lot of me to get it out there. The film was made with passion and we are glad that Ajay Devgn got a National Award for it.”
Ajay Devgn was last seen on screen in De De Pyaar De 2, while Bhatt’s most recent directorial was Sadak 2.
