Ajay Devgn, who started off as an action hero returns to the genre after almost eight years

It does seem strange that Ajay Devgn, who started out as an action hero, is making a comeback in that genre again after over eight years.

The last time he did a full-on actioner was with Harry Baweja's Qayamat. Back then, he conceded that the idea to do an action movie was to see if at 33, he was as fit as he was at 22, when he debuted in Phool Aur Kaante. Today, at 42, the actor states that forget 33, he's much fitter now than he was during his first movie.

It's no surprise that Ajay has always performed all his stunts himself. However, there were a couple of instances when the actor was asked if he'd like to have a body double, but he steadfastly declined.

A crew-member from the sets of Singham says, "Not only did Ajay refuse suggestions of a duplicate, but most of his action scenes were okayed in one or two takes."

"Before we started shooting for the film, I was a bit apprehensive because the actions are so extensive and stylised, I wondered whether I'd be able to pull them off, " Ajay confesses, enthusing that once he began working on Singham, all his doubts were cast aside.

Owing his perfect action shots to the years of experience in this genre, Ajay says, "After doing action for so many years, you know how to move, how to fall... so you're able to minimise chances of any injury. Also safety measures have increased considerably over the years."

Fit hai toh hit hai

About his sinewy physique in Singham that has also been appreciated by Bollywood's original macho man Salman Khan, AD says, "I've always followed a healthy lifestyle, never overdoing anything."

So now that he's tested his fitness levels and stunt skills, hope it won't be another few years before we see him in an action movie.

"I don't plan what film I'm going to do next. It all depends on which subject excites me at that point in time, " says the actor adding, "After Golmaal, it's only the script of Singham that we deemed right for an action- fuelled comeback."

Ajay's health guide

Prashant Sawant, who helped Ajay Devgn flesh up tells us about his fitness regime for the film...

"While working towards sculpting his body he would work on each body part two hours every day. Sometimes, we mixed it with cardio, " reveals Prashant. For the fight sequences, they focused on shoulders, arms, chest and abs. "Then Ajay trained each part every alternate day with 500 push-ups."

Prashant banished carbohydrates from his star's diet. "High intake of protein was required, so every two hours Ajay took high-protein stuff like chicken breast, egg whites. For lunch, he'd eat rotis and vegetables."