"I must have heard of Haji Mastan in my childhood but
can't recollect what exactly. But there was something about
Haji Mastan which made people say good things about him too,"
said Ajay.
The National Award-winning actor insists that his character
in "Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai" is more similar to
Robin Hood, unlike his role in "Company" (2002) where
again he had played a don.
"He is like Robin Hood. He is romantic; he has a sense
of humour, which was not there in 'Company'. When so many shades
come to a character and when it shows that the person at heart
is good, the perception of performance changes," said Ajay.
Sheduled to release Friday, the underworld saga also stars
Kangana Ranaut, Emraan Hashmi and Prachi Desai.
The actor prefers not to connect with his characters too deeply.
"When you are playing a character you have to like that
character and think from its point of view, otherwise you can't
play that character. But I don't connect much with the character.
"If you think a lot about the character, you will go mad
and forget which is you in real life. Most people become mad
if they keep living the character even after going home. The
first thing you should learn is to switch off," he said.
But Ajay did take a long time to come out of the character
of Bhagat Singh which he played in "The Legend of Bhagat
Singh" (2002).
"It was not a hangover but there was an admiration for
the character of Bhagat Singh. When you are playing a real life
character, you have to justify it fully because he is a real
life hero. You can't afford to make minor mistakes while doing
such characters. So, you have to study a lot.
"When you see that a person can be so selfless, you start
feeling. That was the only character that stayed with me for
a while," said Ajay.