Manisha Koirala & Ajay Devgan Movies Together List — 6 Films

The shape of the work

The 1990s belonged to Kachche Dhaage; the 2000s to Lajja. Manisha Koirala acted in every film; Ajay Devgan acted in all of them. Strictly Hindi cinema — they never crossed industries together.

Partnership facts

• They first met on the set of Dhanwaan (1993), but neither was the original choice. The film's producer, Pahlaj Nihalani, cast them together after seeing their individual screen tests — Manisha was already a star, Ajay was still a newcomer finding his footing.
• In Kachche Dhaage (1999), Ajay played a Pathan smuggler and Manisha played a woman from a conservative family. The director, Milan Luthria, said Ajay's raw intensity pushed Manisha to drop her usual grace and get scrappy — she later admitted she had to unlearn her 'polite' acting for that role.
• Their pairing in Company (2002) directly led to the casting of Vivek Oberoi as the third lead. Ram Gopal Varma had originally written the female lead as a smaller role, but after seeing Manisha and Ajay's tense chemistry in the first schedule, he expanded the love triangle — launching Vivek's career.
• During the shoot of Hindustan Ki Kasam (1999), Ajay would drive Manisha to the set every morning because she was terrified of the rough terrain near the Rajasthan border. She later said in an interview that he never once complained about the 2-hour detour.
• Manisha once said about Ajay: 'He doesn't act — he reacts. Working with him taught me to listen more on screen.' She said this in a 2002 Filmfare interview, right after Company released.
• In Mehbooba (2008), their last film together, Ajay played a double role — one a romantic poet, the other a violent gangster. Manisha later revealed that Ajay would switch between the two characters mid-scene without warning, forcing her to stay on her toes and improvise her reactions in real time.