In 2004, Devgn was cast with Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai and Akshay Kumar in Rajkumar Santoshi's action thriller "Khakee". The film was released on 23 January 2004. It received positive reviews and became one of the highest-grossing films of 2004. In "Khakee", Devgn once again played a villain. His performance as a police officer turned murderer was well received by critics. Taran Adarsh said: "Ajay Devgan adds yet another feather in his cap with a performance that could've been played only by a master performer. His confrontations with Amitabh Bachchan are exemplary." Later in 2004, Devgn appeared in Indra Kumar's "". He also starred in "Yuva".