Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of celebrated action and stunts director Veeru Devgan, father of Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn, and said it is a great loss for the film industry.
Ajay, who is deeply touched and humbled by PM Modi’s gesture, took to Twitter to thank him.
‘My Mother & entire Devgan family are deeply touched & humbled in silence by this thoughtful gesture from our Honourable Prime Minister @narendramodi.Thank you Sir,’ Ajay said in a tweet on Sunday.
The letter by PM Modi read,’I am deeply saddened to learn of the demise of Veeru Devgan who was widely respected for his outstanding work across various domains of the Hindi film industry. This is a great loss for the industry.”
‘Mr Devgan worked as a stuntman, action choreographer, director, producer and more. This is the sign of a man who completely dedicated himself to his chosen field and hence kept discovering new ways of contributing to it. He was known for his personal daredevilry, for pushing the limits as an action choreographer as well as for being meticulous about the safety of his team. No wonder he was universally loved and respected in the film industry,’ the letter read.
“There is something deeply moving about people like Mr Devgan who took great personal risks just to enthrall audiences in an era of no ‘visual effect’, knowing well that the glory of taking those risks would not be credited to them. It is said that great things can be achieved if we do not care who gets the credit but concentrate on doing the best we can,’ Mr Modi’s letter said.
‘Mr Devgan lived this ideal and his contributions to the film industry will be remembered forever.
I convey my deepest condolences to Mr Veeru Devgan’s family, friends, admirers and the film industry as a whole. May he continue to inspire risk-takers in the world because it is those who take risk that define the direction our world takes. Om Shanti to the departed soul,’ it added.
Veeru Devgan passed away on May 27. He was admitted in Surya Hospital, Santacruz, Mumbai.
He choreographed action scenes in more than 80 films. Veeru also directed a film ‘Hindustan Ki Kasam’ starring Ajay and Amitabh Bachchan.
He also acted in films like ‘Kranti’, ‘Saurabh and Singhasan’.
