Gulshan Devaiah has an envious presence on social media. The place might be addictive and poisonous, however not for the Kantara: Chapter 1 antagonist, who has became a playground. Interacting together with his admirers for the reason that launch of Rishab Shetty’s much-hyped prequel, the Hindi actor is having enjoyable on X (previously Twitter) with witty replies and innocent banter. He’s additionally sportingly taking some snappy feedback in his stride.
“After I first started exploring social media, I wasn’t comfy utilizing it. I slowly started to determine what it meant to me. I realised that I had to make use of it as an genuine reflection of myself. As an illustration, if I speak to you face-to-face, it shouldn’t be totally different from our chat on social media. I advised myself that if it’s not enjoyable, then there isn’t a level being on social media,” he tells The Hindu.
Individuals appear to be loving his strategy as they’re flooding the actor with messages and accolades for his portrayal of King Kulashekhara in Kantara Chapter 1, theprequel to the 2022 hit Kantara. “It’s blown up a lot that I’m not ready to answer every part. Persons are saying such good issues about my efficiency. They’re happier for me than I’m for myself. I see feedback comparable to ‘lastly this man is getting the success he deserves’.”
Kantara: Chapter 1 is Gulshan’s maiden challenge with Rishab. The seeds of this collaboration had been planted in 2019, when the 2 met for a masala dosa on the now extinct New Krishna Bhavan in Malleswaram. “We met by our frequent good friend, actor PD Sathish Chandra,” says Gulshan in regards to the assembly. The trio’s selfie outdoors the restaurant, reverse Sampige Theatre, is now viral on social media.
Gulshan, a Bengaluru boy, had moved to Mumbai to pursue his performing goals. He wasn’t conscious of the developments in Kannada cinema and hadn’t seen Rishab’s works. What caught Gulshan’s consideration was Rishab’s ardour to inform tales. “His tales had been rooted, originating from the area (Kundapura) he grew up in. He didn’t need to do exactly movies. He needed to do cinema. I felt like working with him after our first assembly,” he recollects.
The duo was purported to collaborate for Rudraprayag, starring Anant Nag within the lead. Rishab shelved his directorial as a result of pandemic and moved on to performing initiatives. “I had a hunch that he would name me once more. I knew he would write one thing for me.” Gulshan was proper, as he acquired a name for Kantara: Chapter 1. “Rishabwrote Kulashekhara preserving me in thoughts,” says the actor.
Within the interval drama set centuries in the past, Gulshan performs Kulashekhara, a good-for-nothing, evil king with aplomb. He clashes with the tribal neighborhood residing within the forest of Kantara, headed by the fearless Berme (performed by Rishab Shetty). Gulshan units the tone for his character in his first scene, the place he insults a priest throughout his coronation.
Gulshan Devaiah within the movie.
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“In my thoughts, I had a picture of an especially entitled king. He’s from a mighty kingdom, and his household is highly effective. All the pieces belongs to him anyway, so he’s lazy and perpetually drunk. He’s every part {that a} king shouldn’t be. If folks like Kulashekhara inherit energy, they may destroy the world,” Gulshan describes his character.
Gulshan’s physique language for the character is an affidavit to his expertise. All people hates Kulashekhara, folks contained in the story, and people watching him within the viewers. “When you assume folks gained’t like your character, then it can mess along with your head. Be it a villain or a hero or perhaps a small but vital character, I wish to essay it if it sounds attention-grabbing to me,” says Gulshan earlier than happening to clarify how he cracked the character.
“I attempted lazy postures for Kulashekhara as a result of that describes his way of thinking. He’s additionally self-conscious. That’s what makes such folks harmful. Within the movie business, there are folks with very delicate egos. I’ve noticed their character and behavior for years. So I based mostly some a part of my efficiency on my expertise of coping with them.”
Gulshan skills are on full show in an extended sequence contained in the forest, the place he mercilessly orders the mass killing of the inhabitants. Using on a horse and grinning as he sees folks flip to corpses, mades him a formidable villain.
“Kulashekhara is simply too overconfident in that scene as a result of he doesn’t know what’s going to occur to him subsequent,” says the actor with a chuckle. “Jokes aside, I’m happy with that sequence. The terrain was very rugged, and I’m a novice horse rider. Horses are moody, and it’s very difficult to regulate them. We took nearly 20 days to drag off the sequence with none main incidents. I’m glad I got here throughout pure and easy within the scene.”
Gulshan with Pramod Shetty (second from left) and different actors within the film.
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Kannada comes simply to the actor as he grew up in Bengaluru. Nonetheless, he needed to grasp the accent of the coastal Karnataka area. “The movie’s co-writer, Shaneel Gautham (who performed Ravi anna in the hit Su From So), helped me with the dialect. If I sound convincing, the credit score should go to him.”
Gulshan, after making his mark in Anurag Kashyap’s sensible The Girl in Yellow Boots (2010), carved a distinct segment for himself by starring in attention-grabbing, gray characters. His profession has been marked by unpredictability, with the viewer unable to guess his subsequent transfer. Having by no means been boxed into one class, Gulshan starred in artistic and out-of-the-box motion pictures (Death In The Gunj, Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota). He has a penchant for humour and may pull off a number of dialects, making him a reliable artiste for rooted stories (Dahaad).
Undeniably, Kantara: Chapter 1 is his largest success, a widespread recognition after his breakthrough film Hunterr, an grownup comedy. Gulshan stresses that he isn’t going to “lose his head” over this nonstop consideration.
“These initiatives are incidental. What I’m witnessing is the traditional concept of success. When your movie makes some huge cash, it has an impression in your profession. That mentioned, I’ve at all times carried out characters which have excited me. It might or might not work with folks. I did a movie known as Carbaret as a result of I discovered it attention-grabbing. Nonetheless, no person appreciated it. I don’t do theatre as a result of the method isn’t thrilling for me anymore. It’s the identical with movies. I’ll proceed to behave in a wide range of roles and carve an uncharted path to my profession until I really like the craft.”
Printed – October 12, 2025 04:39 pm IST
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