Ajay Devgn dances his way into UAE cinemas with Prabhu Deva’s Action Jackson

With his new film Action Jackson out in cinemas, the Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn tells us he has finally embraced his inner dancer, thanks to the filmmaker Prabhu Deva, who happens to be one of India’s best choreographers.

Action Jackson Press Conference at the Grand Hyatt Hotel Dubai. Victor Besa for The National

When Ajay Devgn made his debut in 1991 with Phool Aur Kaante and performed the splits while balanced on two moving motorbikes, he was instantly labelled an action hero and his 23-year career has been peppered with dozens of action films – the most recent are the two Singham films.

Adding to that impressive list is Action Jackson, a love story with comedy and lots of action that opens in cinemas today. "I have done something like this after a lot of years," said Devgn at a press conference held in Dubai earlier this week to promote the film. "It took a lot of practice, but it has turned out quite well."

Action Jackson is directed by India's star choreographer and dancer Prabhu Deva, and the cast includes Sonakshi Sinha, Yami Gautam and Manasvi Mamgai.

With Deva in charge, there’s plenty of dancing incorporated into the film, which offsets all the over-the-top action.

But Devgn is definitely not known for his dancing skills, and the actor laughs in agreement. “When an actor works, he is in character,” says Devgn. “He does not think about what genre he is performing in. Except for dancing, I am comfortable doing everything. But as my daughter put it, this is the first time I have looked comfortable dancing in a film and all the credit goes to the choreographer. Prabhu made me feel so comfortable. He studied my body language. All choreographers do that, but the difference with Prabhu is that he creates new steps based on your specific body language.

“For example, there is a step in one of the songs where I am doing a kind of moonwalk. While we were rehearsing for that song, Prabhu asked me what I planned to do and I was holding my cup of coffee while I showed him my moves, and that’s exactly how it turned out on film – me moonwalking while sipping coffee. This is how spontaneous and innovative Prabhu is and you will get to see that in all the dances in the film.”

Devgn's leading lady in the film is Sinha, who has previously worked with Deva in 2012's Rowdy Rathore and 2013's R… Rajkumar and is known for her superior dancing skills.

Did Devgn find it difficult to match her moves in Action­ ­Jackson?

“I think it was more difficult for her to match her moves with me,” laughs Devgn.“She is a fabulous dancer and a fabulous co-star. What I love about her is that she is straight and honest. I had no issues and no inhibitions while working with her.”

This is the pair's second film together after 2012's Son of Sardaar, which went on to gross more than Dh88 million at the box office. Does Devgn foresee similar success in Action Jackson's future? "Everybody works hard and wants their film to succeed. The hope is always there that your film will do well, and I have the same hopes and expectations from Action Jackson," says the actor.

“It is a love story with a lot of action and some really great dancing. What I can tell you for sure is that out of all the films I have done till now, Prabhu Deva has presented me in a way that is totally unique. When you see the film, you will understand what I mean.”

• Action Jackson is out in cinemas on Wednesday December 3.