Ajay took time out to finish dubbing and shooting for the film Naam

In an industry where being selfless gets you nowhere, Ajay Devgn stands apart. Recently, he came to the rescue of Dinesh Patel, the man who gave him his first blockbuster break, Phool Aur Kante.

Despite his busy schedule, Ajay took time out to finish dubbing and shooting for the film Naam, produced by Dinesh Patel and directed by Anees Bazmee.

Though Sameera Reddy replaced Priyanka Chopra, who walked out of the film after shooting some scenes, Naam had been held up for over five years.

Our source says, “Most of the actors don’t like their long-delayed films to be released because it does more harm to their image instead of benefitting it. Not Ajay Devgn though. Always grateful to Patel for giving him his first big break, Ajay decided to bail him out of this hopeless situation. The recovery of the film will not be more than seven crores, whereas the cost of releasing it is three times more.”

When contacted, Patel confirms, “Yes we are planning to release the film soon. Ajay and Anees have completed their job and we are looking at an August release.” But the producer can’t but lament the delay in the film, “It took so long because Priyanka Chopra walked out after shooting a few scenes. She suddenly felt that she had become a very big heroine. Then we got Sameera Reddy. But we still didn’t have Ajay’s dates. Later, Aneesbhai also got busy with his projects and I was also unwell for a year.”

Ajay’s help is the light at the end of this tunnel. And if the film doesn’t fare well, “Ajay is like a family to us. We will make another film with him,” says an optimistic Patel.