Gulshan Devaiah: Living the dream
Nonika Singh
Gifted actor Gulshan Devaiah’s responses are measured. Just as none of his expressions, even as the quirky Atmaram in ‘Guns & Gulaabs’, are out of place, words too are not misplaced or misdirected. No excessive jargon or adjectives to describe his roles, or his directors or co-actors. The only time he goes a bit effusive is when talking about co-star Adil Hussain.
Says Devaiah, “He has been my hero. I have had the good fortune of watching him perform live, and it’s impossible for someone to be so good.” Even otherwise, the ensemble cast in his recent release ‘Ulajh’ is to die for, what with noted Malayalam actor Roshan Matthews making his Hindi film debut and Indian-Chinese Meiyang Chang shining bright in the spy thriller.
Among the bevy of male actors stands the female lead Janhvi Kapoor, and Devaiah has no hesitation in admitting that she is the ‘front and centre of the film and doing all the heavy lifting’. So, what made him say yes to a role in a heroine-oriented film? His reasons for signing ‘Ulajh’ are the same as for any other project, “I must have genuine interest in the character and the degree of difficulty — higher the better — in doing that part too is a clinching factor. Besides, the film/series has to be good for my career.” Though he’s worked with top directors from Raj & DK to Dibakar Banerjee to Vasan Bala, the directors’ exalted stature has limited bearing on his choices. He reasons, “I have worked with debutant directors. If I don’t allow myself to be surprised by new directors and work only with established ones, then it is only a wishlist that I am picking.”
About ‘Ulajh’s director Sudhanshu Saria, once again Devaiah will not go into euphemisms but he does single him out as one whose eye for detail is astute and approach ‘more than what meets the eye’. Interestingly, he did have creative differences with Saria and is grateful to the National Award-winning director for paying heed to his take on his character. He feels, “A bit of friction is good, as is the competitive spirit with co-actors as long as there is no one-upmanship and desire to outshine the other. At times, you are with actors who are not that experienced , but you have to make the scene work.”
Though he has not seen much of Janhvi’s work, except the anthology ‘Ghost Stories’ of which he too was a part, he says, “She is a thorough professional and hard-working and that’s all that matters. I have a similar relationship with many actors like Rajkummar Rao. We are friendly but not friends.”
Understanding the storytellers’ perspective is paramount for him. “It helps me to tailor my craft according to their sensibility. If I am doing a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film and if I approach the character as I would in an Anurag Kashyap film, I just wouldn’t fit in,” he adds. Apart from being a part of several Kashyap productions like ‘Hunterrr’ and ‘Shaitan’, he rubbed shoulders with him in ‘Bad Cop’.
Looking back at his career, he is more than satisfied. “It could have been better, maybe in terms of box-office numbers too.” Yet, films like ‘Ulajh’ don’t put undue pressure on him. To be seen in web-series ‘Therapy Sherapy’, which talks of mental health issues, he maintains his mental well-being by keeping a dispassionate distance from the frenzied world of glamour and glitz. Acting, for him, is like any other profession and he won’t shoot beyond a 12-hour shift, nor take professional calls after 7 pm.
He muses, “I enjoy the journey and not the destination. I don’t even care where I arrive, maybe at a point where no one has gone before.” His admirers would certainly vouch for how, invariably, he goes where few others do. With a head firmly on his shoulders, this fashion designer-turned-actor only believes in the X factor of surprise, surprising himself and viewers with his vast range and choices. On the anvil is ‘Little Thomas’, reminiscent of ‘Malgudi Days’. Gulshan Devaiah, however, will remind you of no other actor, only the inimitable himself.
