# Action Jackson (एक्शन जैक्सन) (2014 film)
**Action Jackson** (एक्शन जैक्सन) is a 2014 Hindi-language action comedy film directed by [Prabhu Deva](https://www.edgepedia.org/prabhu-deva), starring [Ajay Devgn](https://www.edgepedia.org/ajay-devgn) in a double role as a Mumbai street fighter and his look-alike, a Bangkok-based hitman.[1](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=2470) • [2](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=2470) It was released in India on 5 December 2014, ran about 144 minutes, and was certified UA.[1](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=2470) The film was a critical and commercial failure, finishing as a flop against a budget reported between ₹750 million (₹75 crore) and ₹930 million (₹93 crore).[3](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/action-jackson/box-office/) • [4](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/action-jackson-mints-rs-28-crore-in-opening-weekend/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writers | Prabhu Deva; story by A.C. Mughil; screenplay by Shiraz Ahmed, A.C. Mughil, and Prabhu Deva[2](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=2470) |
| Lead cast | Ajay Devgn (Vishy / Jai), Sonakshi Sinha (Khushi), Yami Gautam (Anusha), Manasvi Mamgai (Marina), Kunaal Roy Kapur (Moosa)[2](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=2470) |
| Release | 5 December 2014 (India), Hindi, 144 minutes, UA certificate[1](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=2470) |
| Music | Himesh Reshammiya; background score by Sandeep Chowta[2](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=2470) • [5](https://www.behindwoods.com/hindi-movies/action-jackson/action-jackson-review.html) |
| Production | Baba Arts Limited with Eros International; producers Gordhan Tanwani and Sunil Lulla[2](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=2470) |
| Box office | India net ₹577.8 million (₹57.78 crore), worldwide gross ₹903.7 million (₹90.37 crore); verdict: flop[3](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/action-jackson/box-office/) |
| Critical reception | Rotten Tomatoes 19% Tomatometer (16 reviews), 30% audience score; IMDb 3.5/10 from about 4,900 votes[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/action_jackson_2014) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403935/ratings/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and characters
Ajay Devgn plays two roles: Vishy, a good-hearted Mumbai street fighter, and AJ (also called Jai), his look-alike, a sword-wielding assassin based in Bangkok.[2](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=2470) • [8](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/action-jackson-movie-review-ajay-devgn-doesnt-need-to-stoop-this-low/lite/) The two swap places, with AJ seeking the help of his look-alike to escape a ruthless mafia.[9](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403935/) Vishy romances Khushi ([Sonakshi Sinha](https://www.edgepedia.org/sonakshi-sinha)), while AJ is involved with Anusha ([Yami Gautam](https://www.edgepedia.org/yami-gautam)) and pursued by Marina ([Manasvi Mamgai](https://www.edgepedia.org/manasvi-mamgai)), a gangster's sister who wants him for herself.[10](https://scroll.in/article/693262/action-jackson-an-enervating-tedious-action-movie-with-two-ajay-devgns) Kunaal Roy Kapur plays Moosa, and the supporting cast includes Puru Raajkumar as Inspector Shirke and Ananth Raj as the villain Xavier Fonseca.[2](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=2470) Prabhas and Shahid Kapoor make special appearances.[11](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0403935/credits/)
## Production and release
The film was announced as a Baba Films production with music by [Himesh Reshammiya](https://www.edgepedia.org/himesh-reshammiya) and action sequences directed by Ravi Verman; it was originally slated for release on 11 April 2014, which would have placed it near [Amitabh Bachchan](https://www.edgepedia.org/amitabh-bachchan)'s *Bhoothnath Returns*.[12](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/ajay-devgns-action-jackson-to-hit-screens-in-april-2014-614630) In April 2014 the release was pushed to an undecided date: Prabhu Deva said the team did not want to compete with [Akshay Kumar](https://www.edgepedia.org/akshay-kumar)'s *Holiday* and preferred to come after *Singham 2*, and Ajay Devgn asked the producers to space out the two action films.[13](https://www.tseries.com/news/ajay-devgn-pushes-release-action-jackson) It eventually opened on 5 December 2014 on about 3,350 screens in India.[1](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=2470)
A production detail reported by Moviebuff: the film's music was created first, and Prabhu Deva then choreographed the fight sequences to match the beats of the music.[14](https://www.moviebuff.com/action-jackson) The British Board of Film Classification certified the film for strong violence, threat, and drug use, noting bloody sword stabbings, gunshots, and scenes of cocaine snorting.[15](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/action-jackson-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zotc5mzy)
## Box office
The film opened to ₹102.5 million (₹10.25 crore) net in India on day one, collected ₹292.5 million (₹29.25 crore) over its opening weekend, and finished with ₹577.8 million (₹57.78 crore) net in India (₹802.5 million (₹80.25 crore) gross), ₹101.2 million (₹10.12 crore) overseas, and ₹903.7 million (₹90.37 crore) worldwide gross, according to Bollywood Hungama.[3](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/action-jackson/box-office/) Box Office India's figures differ slightly, listing ₹574.4 million (₹57.44 crore) net, ₹789.3 million (₹78.93 crore) India gross, and ₹888.7 million (₹88.87 crore) worldwide gross, with about 7.64 million (76.4 lakh) footfalls.[1](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=2470) Both trackers record the verdict as a flop.[3](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/action-jackson/box-office/) • [1](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=2470)
Trade commentary at the time was pessimistic. A trade analyst, Rajesh Thadani of Multimedia Combines, told IANS that against a budget of about ₹750 million (₹75 crore) the film should have earned ₹150 million to ₹200 million (₹15 to ₹20 crore) more in its first three days, and that it might not sustain; the Indo-Asian News Service report put the three-day total at ₹280 million (₹28 crore).[4](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/action-jackson-mints-rs-28-crore-in-opening-weekend/) Trade analyst Komal Nahta had described the film as "too routine and hackneyed".[4](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/action-jackson-mints-rs-28-crore-in-opening-weekend/) The independent comedy *Sulemani Keeda*, released the same day, performed negligibly by comparison.[4](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/action-jackson-mints-rs-28-crore-in-opening-weekend/)
## Critical reception
The film was received overwhelmingly negatively. On Rotten Tomatoes it holds a 19% Tomatometer from 16 reviews and a 30% audience score.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/action_jackson_2014) TheReviewMonk's aggregate of 24 rated reviews counted 2 positive, 2 mixed, and 20 negative, with an average of 2.9 out of 10, and its consensus describes reviewers dismissing the film as incoherent, illogical, and a waste of screen time, while conceding limited appeal for fans of Ajay Devgn or Prabhudheva and noting the songs and cast as minor redeeming factors.[16](https://thereviewmonk.com/movie/action-jackson/)
Individual reviews were harsh. Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave it 0.5 out of 5, calling it "straight-up disgusting fare" and criticizing its portrayal of women.[8](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/action-jackson-movie-review-ajay-devgn-doesnt-need-to-stoop-this-low/lite/) Anupama Chopra of Hindustan Times gave 0.5 out of 5 and urged readers to stay home.[6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/action_jackson_2014) Suhani Singh of India Today gave it 0 out of 5, calling it "a vicious assault to the senses" and "the worst film of the year", and noted that it ripped off action sequences from *Kill Bill* and *Grandmaster*.[17](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/reviews/story/action-jackson-review-starring-ajay-devgn-sonakshi-sinha-yami-gautam-229914-2014-12-05) Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in called it "ultra-macho drivel" with two indistinguishable Devgn roles.[10](https://scroll.in/article/693262/action-jackson-an-enervating-tedious-action-movie-with-two-ajay-devgns) The Times of India was an outlier at 2.5 out of 5, suggesting viewers not looking for mentally stimulating fare could enjoy it.[18](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/Action-Jackson/movie-review/45358712.cms) Audience scores were similarly low: IMDb records 3.5/10 from about 4,900 votes, and the CineGraph aggregate score is 1.7/10.[7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403935/ratings/) • [19](https://cinegraph.org/movies/action-jackson-2014)
## Remake question and context
The film was marketed as based on an original script, though Prabhu Deva had built his Hindi directing career on remaking Tamil and Telugu hits.[10](https://scroll.in/article/693262/action-jackson-an-enervating-tedious-action-movie-with-two-ajay-devgns) AajTak reports that it is widely called an unofficial remake of [Mahesh Babu](https://www.edgepedia.org/mahesh-babu)'s Telugu hit *Dookudu*, with substantial plot similarities, while noting the debate over whether it is a remake at all; the same report records that the film flopped at the box office.[20](https://www.aajtak.in/entertainment/bollywood-news/story/ajay-devgn-south-film-remakes-do-not-necessarily-hit-on-box-office-but-tamil-is-lucky-will-bholaa-work-tmovs-1660887-2023-03-25) Reviewers frequently compared it unfavorably with Prabhu Deva's own earlier films such as *[Wanted](https://www.edgepedia.org/wanted-2009-film)*, *Rowdy Rathore*, and *R...Rajkumar*.[16](https://thereviewmonk.com/movie/action-jackson/) • [17](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/reviews/story/action-jackson-review-starring-ajay-devgn-sonakshi-sinha-yami-gautam-229914-2014-12-05)
## References
1. [Action Jackson, Box Office India](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=2470)
2. [Action Jackson cast and credits, Box Office India](https://www.boxofficeindia.com/cast_crew.php?movieid=2470)
3. [Action Jackson Box Office Collection, Bollywood Hungama](https://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movie/action-jackson/box-office/)
4. ['Action Jackson' mints Rs.28 crore in opening weekend, The Indian Express (IANS)](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/action-jackson-mints-rs-28-crore-in-opening-weekend/)
5. [Action Jackson movie review, Behindwoods](https://www.behindwoods.com/hindi-movies/action-jackson/action-jackson-review.html)
6. [Action Jackson (2014), Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/action_jackson_2014)
7. [Action Jackson (2014) Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403935/ratings/)
8. [Action Jackson movie review: A straight-up disgusting fare, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/action-jackson-movie-review-ajay-devgn-doesnt-need-to-stoop-this-low/lite/)
9. [Action Jackson (2014), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403935/)
10. [Review: 'Action Jackson' is a tedious action movie with two Ajay Devgns, Scroll.in](https://scroll.in/article/693262/action-jackson-an-enervating-tedious-action-movie-with-two-ajay-devgns)
11. [Action Jackson credits, Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0403935/credits/)
12. [Ajay Devgn's Action Jackson to hit screens in April 2014, NDTV](https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/ajay-devgns-action-jackson-to-hit-screens-in-april-2014-614630)
13. [Ajay Devgn pushes release of Action Jackson, T-Series](https://www.tseries.com/news/ajay-devgn-pushes-release-action-jackson)
14. [Action Jackson, Moviebuff](https://www.moviebuff.com/action-jackson)
15. [Action Jackson classification, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/action-jackson-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zotc5mzy)
16. [Action Jackson (2014) Reviews & Ratings, TheReviewMonk](https://thereviewmonk.com/movie/action-jackson/)
17. [Movie review: Action Jackson is a vicious assault to the senses, India Today](https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/reviews/story/action-jackson-review-starring-ajay-devgn-sonakshi-sinha-yami-gautam-229914-2014-12-05)
18. [Movie Action Jackson 2014, Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/movie-reviews/Action-Jackson/movie-review/45358712.cms)
19. [Action Jackson, Cinegraph](https://cinegraph.org/movies/action-jackson-2014)
20. [Ajay Devgn south film remakes, AajTak](https://www.aajtak.in/entertainment/bollywood-news/story/ajay-devgn-south-film-remakes-do-not-necessarily-hit-on-box-office-but-tamil-is-lucky-will-bholaa-work-tmovs-1660887-2023-03-25)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Hindi films of the 2010s › Hindi films of 2014*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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