Gulshan Devaiah: 'It was my childhood dream to be part of Hindi films'
Gulshan Devaiah: 'It was my childhood dream to be part of Hindi films'
The talented and versatile actor Gulshan Devaiah, who impressed us with his impeccable performances in films like Shaitan, Hunterr, Commando 3 and others, is gearing up for the release of Duranga, which is set to stream from tomorrow on Zee 5. While the trailer of the web show has garnered a tremendous response from fans, in an exclusive interview with Firstpost, Gulshan opened up about his dark character in Duranga and getting offers of south films.
The trailer has garnered a tremendous response from the audience. Have you come across some compliments on social media?
I haven't seen much of the comments, but Drashti's fans are showering us with a lot of love and appreciation. So thanks to them, that's very sweet. But I can't remember any one particular. I think one particular comment that ki mann atak gaya, something that was really cute because that's a reference to the song sequence in Badhaai Ho. So that was little sweet.
Any particular compliment which you like from your close friends or your family members?
I always get good response. As wonderful as it is I don't tend to not take it too seriously also. I haven't really gone through many of the comments that are there on social media and of course friends and family will always give their best wishes na that's why their friends and family. There will always be warm wishes and best wishes from friends and family and a lot of excitement from their point of view, from their perspective also. It's nice. But this is like, I'm used to it.
Some characters are so complex and intense for example this character, stays with you for a long time. So, whenever there is a pack-up and you go home, how do you detox yourself from that character?
I have a habit, I eat only once a day so that's usually after that's usually in the evening. So, when it's closing pack up time. So, the only thing that I'm thinking is like, I want to go home and eat food and sleep. So that's my automatic I switch off. As soon as they call pack up, I'm like let's let me get home as quickly as possible and eat because by that time I'm really hungry and I get little cranky also sometimes. So, there's no particular process or anything. I think I know I do sometimes play dark characters and all that but I also do a lot of pre-production and I don't like to bring my characters home with me and I don't like to be psychologically affected by the darkness or some kind of an emotional aspect of the of the characters that I'm playing. The character is an illusion. It's that I create on screen with the help of my co-actors, directors and all the people involved. So that is the reality if it seems real to the audiences. And that's not I care about, for me that's that's my understanding of the craft that it's an illusion and you have to be truthful to it when you're performing it. But then I draw a line that I don't want to cross, there's always an imaginary line depending on the character that I don't want to cross, because if I cross that line, then it will start affecting me. I don't want that to happen. And I learned this from years of working in theater and theater director, actually told me This that there should always be a line, you shouldn't, cause it because if you cross it, it's madness.
Whenever you are doing two projects simultaneously or there is very less gap between the first and second project and one character is dark character and the other is a very girl next door. So, how you switch from one to another like do you go through any kind of process?
It is very difficult and in this case, post-pandemic, because there was a lot of workload from the pandemic and commitments, and I had to also sort of shoot for another project in which I was working on, it's completely different sensibility. I was working with Raj and DK in Guns and Gulaabs and collapse. So I had to do one schedule in between Duranga also. That was a bit difficult but fortunately, for me, I had. It's not an ideal situation, I mean, I really wish that to get into a flow state and like just start something and that thing becomes part of your life and then you finish it and then you move on to something else. When it's not possible sometimes it's, it's a question of practicality sometimes it's just not possible for actors to do that, in that case, I made sure that I prepare the shit out of it so that when I go to the other set, it's completely different. And it all depends on how much time you have to prepare, and how well you have prepared. So that you can like switch between characters. But having said that it's not easy. It does pose its own challenges but I've been working for a little over ten years now, 11 years now and this experience also helps. You tackle such situations and I am confident that yeah, it's going to be tough. I don't know how I'm going to do it but you know I have the experience. I think my experience will pull through. And so far I think that's what I rely on when I have when I have to encounter such situations.
Did you observe any personality for your character or it was your perception?
It's my own perception. I wanted to I work a lot for my imagination but that doesn't mean that I don't have references or you know I don't do some kind of research or reading up or something. But in this particular case, I didn't watch the original series because I did want to be influenced by anyway. It's already an adaptation but I was like, okay, fine. Like how can I have an original take on this and what the writing is? So I rely mainly upon my imagination and upon what the script is and what the makers, the two directors, and what their vision is, I try and understand it to the best of my abilities. And then use my imagination and create something. And then, of course, like during the rehearsal process, or during readings or creative meetings and discussions, we have with the team, you try out such ideas and then you keep things that are working and then you discard things that don't work. Long story short, I really like to work out of my imagination. I think because I went to design school, maybe that's why.
Since south-dubbed pan-India films have become a rage at the box office if given an offer will star in south films?
Yes and no. No first because like it was my childhood dream to be part of Hindi films. Woh jo sapney hote hai na bachpan ke waise although I grew up in the South, I watched all languages, can speak, most of the south southern languages also. Tamil in particular, I can speak quite well. Of course, I am from Karnataka, so, I can speak Kannada fluently. I can manage Telugu and Malayalam if push comes to shove, but this I can manage. You pick up languages like generally growing in a cosmopolitan city like Bangalore. It's very multicultural, multilinguistic and pick up stuff. But I never really visualized. I never really visualize myself in any other language but in Hindi films. So as of now, it's restricted to that but never say never. I don't have any plans to diversify or venture into it. I don't follow trends. There are some really awesome Marathi films also. Since the past Marathi Cinema has really put out, some really awesome content and I watch it and I get influenced from it from a very cinema perspective from a very craft perspective, but I never really imagined, I have not really decided that oh, I'm going to do this, because it's trending. So I'm not a trend follower.
I'm doing what I'm doing, because this is what my dreams were, and really, having a lot of fun acting but I don't know. I'm open to it. I mean, and I'll first do come to be to be straight with you. There was just one to take bold action and then, you know, Telugu, Tamil Malayalam, even Bangla films also, they get offered to me. I do consider them very sincerely, but as of now, I have not taken up anything, a Kannada film nearly happened, but then the pandemic hit, and then that project fell apart. But I don't want to follow a trend. If I see if I if there is a compulsion in me there is a project or if it's somebody that I get to work with that I'm a huge fan of Sai Pallavi. I think if there is a film with Sai and if it's in Tamil or Telugu then maybe. It depends on the script on the part and when working with and all that, but I'm open to it. But as of now, I'm having too much fun living my dream.
Do you think the taste of audiences has changed in the pandemic?
Perhaps, Perhaps I'm not an expert on this, but from my limited observation, perhaps, I think it's a combination of them for two years being exposed to a different content. So they found things that are more interesting and when you watch a film in a different language and it's a different story. The whole setting is different, the characters are different. So you find the new taste also. Since all the theaters have open to full capacity, most it's not the same. You know, the market is not the same, so films are not releasing the same way, it will take some time to stabilize, but that doesn't mean that the Films are doing bad or we have to follow some trend or something. Hit, flopp toh chalta rahta hai. It's been going on for 100 years. Service animals existed there. There there will be periods where films not working is because audiences are not liking them, that is probably more reality than them preferring, like south films or like Hollywood films over Hindi films. It's good for competition. If you have to compete with like other languages and other Industries, also it would there is so much learning that come from that. But I don't think that I would take it very seriously that all films are not working. If films are not working, which means that they failed to capture the imagination of the people. And also people see a lot of them are also online. Right now I'm if I have to step out of home like why should I go out to a movie hall and spend so much money when I can call my friends over or with my family, I can stream something on TV and I can watch and we can have fun. So, this is the competition in terms of marketing and sales. I think, in the industry, particularly the theatrical business may have to sort of you know, reinvent itself or think of new ideas getting people back into the theatres and it will happen soon. Because the cinematic experience is unparallel. Sitting and watching on the big screen, nothing compares to it. Content has diversified, so you can watch things on your phone and you can go and watch things in the movie, hall also certain that much more options for audiences.
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