Riteish Deshmukh & Ajay Devgan Movies Together List — 5 Films

The shape of the work

The 2000s belonged to Masti; the 2020s to Raid 2. Riteish Deshmukh acted in every film; Ajay Devgan acted in all of them. Strictly Hindi cinema — they never crossed industries together.

Partnership facts

• Riteish Deshmukh was the one who pushed for Ajay Devgn to play the lead in 'Masti' (2004). The director Indra Kumar originally wanted a different actor, but Riteish insisted Ajay would bring the right comic timing. Ajay signed on after Riteish personally narrated the script to him.
• In 'Masti' (2004), Ajay Devgn played the straight-laced, exasperated husband while Riteish Deshmukh was the chaotic, horny friend. Their comedy worked because Ajay’s deadpan reactions gave Riteish’s manic energy a target to bounce off. Riteish once said Ajay’s silence in a scene made him funnier.
• Ajay Devgn and Riteish Deshmukh have been close friends since the early 2000s. They often vacation together with their families. Riteish’s wife Genelia is also close to Ajay’s wife Kajol. The two actors have a running joke that they’ll only do a film together if it’s a comedy — because they can’t keep a straight face around each other.
• Riteish Deshmukh said about Ajay Devgn: 'He is the only actor who can make me laugh without saying a word. Just his expressions in 'Masti' used to crack me up so much that we had to do multiple retakes.'
• The success of 'Masti' (2004) directly led to a wave of adult comedies in Bollywood — films like 'Kyaa Kool Hai Hum' (2005) and 'Grand Masti' (2013) were greenlit because producers saw the box office pull of Riteish and Ajay’s double act. Without their pairing, the 'Masti' franchise wouldn’t have existed.
• For 'Himmatwala' (2013), Ajay Devgn specifically asked Riteish Deshmukh to play the comic sidekick. Riteish agreed without reading the full script — he said yes just because Ajay asked. The film bombed hard, but Riteish later joked that at least they got to wear ridiculous 80s costumes together.