On April 2, 2020, Ajay Devgn is turning 51. Here's wishing the multi-faceted, versatile star of our generation (not to mention, two-time National award winner) Many Many Happy Returns of the Day. Ajay Devgn is going through one of the best phases of his career, with his recent film, Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, turning out to be the biggest hit of 2020, earning more than Rs 200 crore at the box office. He was to be seen next in a cameo in Akshay Kumar's Sooryavanshi, directed by Rohit Shetty. But that movie has been indefinitely postponed due to Coronavirus lockdown. Rs 400 Crore Plus? That's The Loss Bollywood Might Incur In The First Quarter Of 2020, After Sooryavanshi's Postponement.

Now as you might be knowing, Akshay Kumar is going to play the lead in another historical after Kesari in YRF's Prithviraj. The movie depicts the legendary love story of king Prithviraj Chauhan and princess Samyukta, with Akshay taking on Prithviraj's role and Manushi Chillar making her big-screen debut as Samyukta. The movie is being directed by Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi. Prithviraj: Karni Sena Halts Akshay Kumar's Film's Shoot, Demands Assurance That Historic Facts Won't Be Tampered.

But did you know that some 15 years back, Ajay Devgn was to play Prithviraj Chauhan in a movie, and it was Dwivedi who threw a spanner in that development?

In 2004, Rajkumar Santoshi, who directed Devgn in Lajja and Khakee, had announced that he would be making Prithviraj Samyukta, based on the same love story. While Ajay was to play Prithviraj, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was pencilled to take on the role of Samyukta (she was later going to be replaced with a newcomer).

The movie, however, got shelved, the reason for which Santoshi revealed in a 2007 interview to Hindustan Times. Apparently, Sunny Deol was also involved in making a film on the same subject. Guess who the director of that movie was - Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi of Chanakya fame! The funny part is Sunny's project also eventually did not take off. Dwivedi later directed him in the controversial Mohalla Assi, and is now reviving his dream project with Akshay.

Santoshi and Deol had earlier burnt their fingers by making films on the same real-life figure - Bhagat Singh -  and releasing it on the same day, only for both movies to flop. Ajay Devgn played Bhagat Singh in Santoshi's film, and won the National Award for the Best Actor.

In the HT interview, Santoshi said of Prithviraj Samyukta, "After I heard that Chandraprakash Dwivedi and Sunny Deol were also planning Prithviraj Samyukta, I shelved my film. I didn’t want a repeat of Bhagat Singh." Santoshi does have a checkered history of announcing some very high profile projects only for the movie to either get shelved immediately, like Power, or abandoned after shooting, like Randeep Hooda's ill-fated Battle of Saragarhi.

Which reminds us of another 'almost-clash' when Akshay and Ajay were both to play the leads in two films based on the Battle of Saragarhi. However, it was Akshay's film, Kesari, that managed to get completed and released, while Devgn's Sons of Sardaar remains shelved, with the actor moving on to Tanhaji.

Both the stars are now very good friends and are doing their bit (along with Ranveer Singh) to expand Rohit Shetty's cop universe.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 02, 2020 01:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).