Devgn's next release of the year was Prakash Jha's "Gangaajal". The film was set in the time of the blinding incident in Bhagalpur, Bihar. Rediff.com said, "Ajay Devgan pulls up an ace with a part tailormade to reinforce his seething-under-the-surface angry hero image. To his credit (and the director's), he brings style and grace to a largely stereotypical, righteous protagonist. To a great extent, his presence covers up the film's patchiness in the second half." Devgn was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award for this performance. He then worked in Rohit Shetty's directional debut "Zameen" and J. P. Dutta's war film "LOC Kargil".