Ajay Devgn put on a moustache, turban and auditioned to play Bhagat Singh; feared that he would be a misfit to play a 23-year-old

At one point, Santoshi considered casting a newcomer but Ajay was locked in the role after he gave a screen test, which was quite unusual for a mainstream star in Hindi cinema. In the making of the film shared on YouTube, Santoshi shared, “When I was making Lajja, I interacted a lot with Ajay. His eyes and intensity matched what is required for the character of Bhagat Singh. We auditioned him in full get-up with a moustache and turban and I was pleasantly surprised that his face and his whole appearance was quite similar to Bhagat Singh.”

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Akhilendra Mishra and Ajay Devgn in The Legend of Bhagat Singh.

Ajay was scared of being miscast. Even more so because the film was being made amid a lot of controversy. At the time, four filmmakers were making films based on Bhagat Singh’s life and Santoshi’s film was in direct competition with Bobby Deol-starrer 23rd March 1931: Shaheed. There were rumours that Santoshi was previously associated with the project but wanted Sunny to play the title role. When things didn’t work out, he left the project and set up his own film with the Tauranis. This led to a rift between Sunny and Rajkumar who had delivered many hits like Ghayal, Ghatak, Damini until then. Nevertheless, once Ajay stepped into the project, he knew he had to live up to the expectations that were once set by Manoj Kumar in 1965’s Shaheed.

Ajay had to be a revolutionary who is fearless, brave and does not care for consequences. He had to deliver monologues that made the audience believe that someone as selfless as Bhagat lived and died for the country, and he also had to play him like a 23-year-old who cared deeply for his friends who had the same mission. He had to present Bhagat like an ordinary man who had an extraordinary impact on the freedom movement. One of the most powerful scenes in the film, where Bhagat and his comrades are being force fed in the prison, brought out the humane, sensitive side of the character. And the scenes where Bhagat is enthusiastically motivating his fellow freedom fighters brought out his never-say-die attitude.

In an interview during the promotions of the film, Ajay spoke about meeting Bhagat Singh’s brother Kultar Singh. In a chat with Rediff in 2002, Ajay shared that he was in tears when Kultar addressed him as his older brother. “You know, in Pune, someone told Kultar Singh that he should bless me. Kultar replied, ‘How can I bless my elder brother?’ I could not help crying,” he shared and added, “He gave us deep insights into his brother’s life, facts that have not been revealed by history.” Kultar passed away at 86 in 2004. Kultar was a vocal supporter of the film as he found Santoshi’s research to be respectful and said that it was as close to Bhagat’s real-life as possible.

Years after this film, Ajay won his third National Film Award for Tanhaji.