Gulshan Devaiah: I would like to work with Sriram Raghavan; I really love the worlds and characters that he creates

08/06/2023

Gulshan Devaiah is currently riding high on the success of his last series, 'Dahaad', for which he has been garnering appreciation from all sides.
In an exclusive interview where he spilled the beans on his choices of films, his love for movies, his stint in the fashion field, filmmakers he would love to work with and more. Excerpts...
Your film, 'Dahaad' has been receiving positive reviews from all sides. How does it feel?
If I said it feels like shit, then I would be lying. It's really nice to get so much appreciation for your work and that too when you are not even doing any flashy role. My character in it is not a flashy one. So it's really nice that people are able to enjoy a performance which is very subtle and subdued. I have played my fair share of flashy roles. So they tend to stand out. Whatever I tried to do with my character has definitely borne fruit because people are able to see the nuances and appreciate my work. It gives a great level of satisfaction. It also makes me feel that I am getting better as an actor, with my craft. I am able to do complicated things with ease.
Your filmography is filled with morally ambiguous characters. Has that been a conscious effort on your part?
Not really. I want to have a diverse and versatile career. And that's what I try. But I also have to make do with what is offered to me. I rarely go chasing for roles. I don't have any preconceived ideas as to what I want to do next. So it's usually people offering me something and then I am like, Oh, should I do this? Should I not do this? How interested am I in this character, in this story? So then I consider all of those things.
I think initially, because people saw me in 'Shaitaan', I was sort of a crazy guy. It was a dark film. So the offers that came in for me during that time were on those lines. I didn't mind them as much because if you see the bad guy in 'Hate Story' is different from the bad guy in 'Ram Leela', it's just different. So there can be a lot of diversity within that also because the type of a role doesn't mean that it's the same character. I try to make the best of what comes my way. That's pretty much my strategy.
But don't you have even a vague idea of what you want to do and what you don't want to do?
No, not a vague idea. I don't like working in horror movies because I get scared. So apart from that, I am really open to anything.
Were you a movie buff growing up?
Yeah, totally! I loved watching films. I stayed locked in the magic of cinema. I watched all kinds of films. There was a time when there was only the DD channel and if you had to watch a movie, you had to go to a movie hall or you had to buy a VCR, which cost a lot of money. So every Sunday they used to play National Award-winning regional films of different languages. I would sit and watch Assamese, Marathi, Bangla, all the language films. I have watched all major works of Satyajit Ray and I had no idea. I couldn't understand. This was when I was 10 years old. I don't recollect anything because I didn't know what I was watching. I was just sitting and watching. It was only later that I realised that he is one of the greatest filmmakers that this country has ever produced.
Was it then that you decided you wanted to become an actor?
Absolutely! I used to dream about being an actor when I was a kid. Actually, I dreamt about my face being on a poster. I am living my dream right now.
You also worked in the fashion industry for a long time earlier on. Was that planned? How was the experience?
No, it just happened. It was a chance encounter. I was not always a bad student, but then at some point I lost complete interest in my education. And I had very few options. So somebody I know, a friend of my cousin, told me that I am good with art and stuff so there are some options out there for me. There are a couple of avenues like National Institute of Design (NID) and National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT). He suggested I try these. He also told me that the entrance exam is going to be tough. However, he said I would crack it since I was pretty good. I missed the NID application. It used to come in newspapers in 1996. So then I found an NIFT ad on another one. I cut it out and applied for it. I wrote the entrance exam. It was tough, but I got through.
It saved my life because it gave me some purpose. It gave me an opportunity to develop my skills, use my imagination and be creative and express myself and also build confidence that I can do something. For an 18-year-old to not know what to do with their life, can be a lot of pressure. It's a lot of pressure for everybody but for men, especially where we are told we have to do something in our life. So that can be incredibly difficult to deal with. When I started to see that I was good at this, I realised I can do something good with my life. It boosted my confidence.
You are also one of the actors who come from a theatre background. However, we don't see you do theatre anymore.
It's a conscious choice, actually. I stopped having fun on stage. I learnt everything about the craft and about theatre by experience. I worked with some wonderful people who taught me a great deal of things, who gave me great opportunities, who nurtured me. I thought that it would be extremely disrespectful for me to get back on stage if I don't have the same enthusiasm. So I had a whole lot of fun doing theatre. But once I started working on films, it's just a completely different kind of fun, the chaos. I just really enjoy myself way too much. I don't have the mental space and energy to devote to theatre anymore. So I thought it would be best if I stop before it gets too bad.
You have worked with filmmakers like Anurag Kashyap, Vijay Nambiar, Ajay Behl and so many others. Do you still have a bucket list of directors you want to work with?
Not really. I don't have a bucket list as such but I would like to work with Sriram Raghavan. He's the only director who I have wanted to work with. I really love the worlds that he creates and the characters that he writes. And I think I'll be smashing in his movie. I'll be so good because he'll write such a great part for me. But my time hasn't come yet. But otherwise I am very open to working with new people. It's also nice to work with different directors with different styles.

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