'After the first Kantara, when they announced the second one, I kind of knew he will call me. I had this instinct.'
'Then he called me at midnight and I didn't pick up. I was like, I'm not talking to anybody at 12 at night.'
'The following day, I called and we chatted.'
'He said, I have to narrate you something. I said, I know, it’s Kantara!'
It’s a bittersweet moment for Gulshan Devaiah.
While his latest outing Kantara: Chapter 1 is inching towards blockbuster status, he is tending to his father, who met with an accident recently.
“The timing couldn't have been better,” he says he joked about it with his dad.
In the Rishab Shetty directorial, Gulshan plays Raja Kulasekhara, an evil ruler intoxicated with alcohol and power.
The negative character, as Gulshan admits, has garnered him a new fandom in his superhit Kannada debut.
"I did not have to audition for Kantara,” the actor tells Mayur Sanap/Rediff. “In a way, I auditioned for it by doing Hunterrr (2015). That's a movie that Rishab watched and is a fan of.”
What feels better -- a well-reviewed film or blockbuster success like Kantara Chapter 1?
They do different things.
The craft and art will enjoy the reviews of people who understand art, who understand cinema, and the finer details.
They would be able to see and pick details which most people wouldn't see.
The financial success impacts the career and profiles of artists in a very different way.
These two things are very separate.
Pragathi Shetty, the costume designer and Rishab's wife, wrote on Instagram that creating your character, Kulasekhara, was her most powerful artistic work. Tell us about the creative process for your character.
I saw that post too and know her personally.
I'm glad that it was an enjoyable process for her and her team.
For me, I would just go there and stand like a mannequin and say, what do you want me to try?
They would slap things on me saying, 'this is working, that's not working, this is working, and that's not working'.
Once I was like, why don't I have armour? Then Rishab was like, Kulasekhara doesn't think he needs one (Laughs).
Kulasekhara is a nutcase.
I just had to allow them to do their creative process and learn how to manage the drapes and move differently, and stand and all that. We don't dress like that in real life, so we can't move like how we move in real life.
Did you figure out what alcohol Kulasekhara drank? The film was based in the 4th century!
(Smiles) Anything that is sufficiently fermented is good enough, I guess.
Fruit, leaves, bark, roots, minerals, it could be anything. The process of making alcohol requires fermentation and then probably distillation if it's some kind of a finer alcohol.
But nobody really knows.
This film never even pretends to be historically accurate. It's based around the time of history, but everything is fiction.
Your roots are from Karnataka. It must be a great to finally do a film in your native language.
I was a fan of Hindi films and music since childhood. That's what I grew up watching and hearing.
My parents were big fans of Hindi film music.
I've been named after Gulshan Bawra, who was a very popular lyricist in the Hindi film industry. The year that I was born, Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan was released.
So, it's there in my inheritance; it's in my name.
When it occurred to me that I want to be an actor, I decided to come to the Hindi film industry.
Hindi films were pan-India before the whole concept of pan-India existed.
Everybody used to watch them.
Sometimes we didn't understand them, but we would still watch them.
Amitabh Bachchan was a superstar everywhere.
Rajesh Khanna was a superstar everywhere.
That's why I wanted to be in Hindi movies because it would reach out to everybody.
Obviously, that was very language-specific. But now the environment is like, the idea of pan-India is not specific to a language.
Cinema is truly universal now.
I was born in Karnataka. I grew up there.
I've been speaking that language since I was born. Nobody can ever take that away from me but we all have our interests.
Once you start, you discover many other things about what you can do and what you want to do.
Now I feel that I want to be a part of cinema, regardless of any boundaries.
Did you speak your own lines in both Kannada and Hindi?
Yes. I would have wanted to do the Tamil and Telugu and other versions also, but didn't have time.
I think I would have charged for it also!
Itne mein itna hi milega (Laughs).
No, it's not like I'm really fluent in all of these languages. It requires a lot of time and effort to speak that. I had agreed to do the Kannada and Hindi version myself.
Maybe, in future, I would want to do all of these languages. I can manage, definitely.
People are raving about your performance on social media.
Apparently, I have new fans now!
What kind of reactions are you getting from your industry peers?
It's always been good, man.
I've been used to industry people calling me and telling me you were really good, for a long time now. This is right from my first film.
They're used to seeing good performances from me.
That sounds like I'm gloating but it's true.
I think that happened in 2011 with Shaitan. Like, who the hell is this guy?
Now that reaction doesn't happen at all.
They say, yeah, this is good. Something different.
Do you remember watching the first Kantara?
Yeah, I wanted to watch it in Kannada.
I found a ticket really far away. I went and I watched it in the theatre. I really enjoyed it.
Towards the end, I felt like I was slightly elevated from the seat.
It was an incredible experience.
Did you audition for this one?
No, I didn't have to. This part was written for me.
So, Rishab wanted me.
I've known him since 2019.
We tried to do some work; he had offered me some scripts and announced one also. But it didn't happen.
I didn't know who he was until 2019. But once I met him, I was like, this guy is crazy. There's something about him.
There was an ambition, there was a drive, there was a passion for telling stories with him.
That really attracted me.
After the first Kantara, when they announced the second one, I kind of knew he will call me. I had this instinct.
Then he called me at midnight and I didn't pick up. I was like, I'm not talking to anybody at 12 at night.
The following day, I called and we chatted.
He said, I have to narrate you something. I said, I know, it’s Kantara!
I didn't pretend like, can I get some time to think and all that.
I just wanted to do it.
How’s your equation with Rishab Shetty?
Rishab himself told me -- and he's been saying it in interviews too -- that this part was written for me.
Thank you, Rishab!
It's not very often that parts are written for certain actors.
I think this is the first time for me, and I will try not to take it too seriously.
But I think it all worked out just fine.
In a way, I auditioned for it by doing Hunterrr (2015). That's a movie that he watched and is a fan of.
We didn’t see you during the promotional activities for the film.
I was busy with some personal matter. My father had a terrible accident.
I was looking after my father. I still am.
I'm taking three days off right now because he's come to that condition where I can leave him for that time.
I'm an only child, so it is my responsibility to look after my folks.
He's nearly 80, so it's challenging.
The timing couldn't have been better. That's what I told him.
I'm obligated to do promotions for them, but I requested Rishab and he said, don't worry about it.
I am privileged that they allowed me to take personal time off.
I hope your father knows that you delivered a blockbuster.
Yes. He knew right from the time when I got the project.
My mom is my public relations officer in the family. She keeps on giving all the reviews and videos and all that.
Now that a bigger section of audience in the South are familiar with your name, what films or shows of yours would you recommend to them?
I don't have any idea. People should just take a chance.
I'm from the time when there were video libraries and we used to go and browse through it and say, I don't know what we're going to watch.
We'd read the back and say, okay, who are these actors? And suddenly we discovered Jackie Chan.
Sometimes you don't like it, it doesn't work out, but you take a chance.
I've been working for more than 15 years.
I've had a variety of things in cinema as well as in long format.
I'm not going to tell people which one that they should start.
Watch all if you can, but you don't have to. Just take a chance.
One film of yours that I'm looking forward to watching is Little Thomas. Any word on its release date?
I have no idea, man. A film like that is very critical to find the right time and the people to associate with.
It's very expensive to release films in cinemas.
That's always a constraint and it's becoming even more difficult.
