By the numbers
- Films: 116 since 1991; 26 in the last ten years (cameos and guest appearances not counted)
- Recent films with figures: 13 of 14 since 2022
- Hits: 3 (2 blockbusters), average: 0, flops: 10 – a hit rate of 23%
- Average return: 1.47x budget; best: Drishyam 2 6.90x; weakest: Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha 0.13x
- Biggest hit: Singham Again (2024), ₹390 cr
- Trend: last five films 1.01x on average, the five before 1.23x (down)
- Born: 1968-04-02
- Awards on Wikidata: 5
| Year | Film | Budget | Box office | Return | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Dhamaal 4 | ₹200 cr | ₹225 cr | 1.12x | Flop |
| 2025 | De De Pyaar De 2 | ₹150 cr | ₹105 cr | 0.70x | Flop |
| 2025 | Son of Sardaar 2 | ₹150 cr | ₹61 cr | 0.41x | Flop |
| 2025 | Maa | ₹65 cr | ₹52 cr | 0.79x | Flop |
| 2025 | Raid 2 | ₹120 cr | ₹243 cr | 2.03x | Hit |
| 2024 | Naam | – | – | – | No figures |
| 2024 | Singham Again | ₹350 cr | ₹390 cr | 1.11x | Flop |
| 2024 | Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha | ₹100 cr | ₹13 cr | 0.13x | Flop |
| 2024 | Maidaan | ₹235 cr | ₹68 cr | 0.29x | Flop |
| 2024 | Shaitaan | ₹60 cr | ₹211 cr | 3.52x | Blockbuster |
| 2023 | Bholaa | ₹100 cr | ₹112 cr | 1.12x | Flop |
| 2022 | Drishyam 2 | ₹50 cr | ₹345 cr | 6.90x | Blockbuster |
| 2022 | Thank God | ₹100 cr | ₹49 cr | 0.49x | Flop |
| 2022 | Runway 34 | ₹100 cr | ₹54 cr | 0.54x | Flop |
What the numbers say
Ajay Devgn’s filmography runs from a 1991 debut to 2026, as of 26 September 2026: 116 films, 5 awards and 26 films in the last decade. But the table above narrows the recent record to 13 films with budget and gross figures, and the arithmetic is sobering. The 13 films include 3 hits, 2 blockbusters and 10 flops, a hit rate of 23 per cent and an average multiple of 1.47. Together, the films with data have grossed ₹1,926 crore. Naam, the 2024 title in the table above, carries no budget or gross figures; Wikipedia carries none, so it cannot be scored.
That 1.47 average is not evenly spread. Drishyam 2’s 6.9 multiple does much of the lifting. Remove that single film and the record is heavily tilted toward under-recoveries. Longevity is real, but the recent commercial record is thinner than the 116-film career suggests.
The hits and the misses
The biggest-grossing entry in the table above is Singham Again: ₹389.64 crore against a ₹350 crore budget, a 1.11 multiple and a Flop verdict. The strongest return is Drishyam 2, made for ₹50 crore and grossing ₹345.05 crore, a 6.9 multiple and a Blockbuster. Shaitaan is the other blockbuster at 3.52, and Raid 2 is a genuine hit at 2.03. Those two titles, not the franchise spectacle, are the models.
The weakest return is Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha: ₹12.91 crore gross against a ₹100 crore budget, a 0.13 multiple and a Flop. Maidaan (0.29) and Son of Sardaar 2 (0.41) were also decisive misses. The distance between Drishyam 2’s 6.9 and Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha’s 0.13 is the whole risk story.
The trend
The recent five in the table above average a 1.01 multiple, down from 1.23 for the five before them. The more recent group includes Raid 2 (2.03), Maa (0.79), Son of Sardaar 2 (0.41), De De Pyaar De 2 (0.70) and Dhamaal 4 (1.12). The previous group includes Bholaa (1.12), Shaitaan (3.52), Maidaan (0.29), Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha (0.13) and Singham Again (1.11). The trend is not a collapse, but it is not improving either: the recent average leans on Raid 2, and the bigger bets keep landing near break-even or below.
What it means for the actor’s next film and for the industry
For Devgn, the scorecard argues for discipline. The films that moved the needle were Drishyam 2 and Shaitaan: contained budgets, a clear genre and strong multiples. The numbers do not say avoid franchises altogether, but they do say a ₹350 crore Singham Again is not the template unless the economics are reset. The next film should be built for recovery at a modest multiple, not for spectacle that needs an event verdict just to reach 1.11.
For the industry, this is a cautionary star-power story. A 116-film career and 5 awards can still produce 10 flops in a 13-film data set and a recent average multiple of 1.01. If a frontline star cannot automatically lift a ₹350 crore project into profit, the safer economics are in mid-budget, story-led films with contained downside. That is where Devgn’s numbers, and Hindi cinema’s current reality, point.
Figures: Ajay Devgn filmography on Wikipedia and each film’s page, read on 26 September 2026.
