Gulshan Devaiah, the actor who kick-started his career with Anurag Kashyap’s That Girl In Yellow Boots, has always been quite vocal about his thoughts during his interviews and interactions.
In an exclusive conversation with ScoopWhoop, the actor, who was last seen in Reema Kagti’s Dahaad, talks about several things – ranging from his love for acting and his brilliant roles to what keeps him motivated.
Dahaad’s Devi Lal Singh became a household name as soon as the crime-thriller hit the audience’s television screens. We wanted to know what attracted and made him agree to this role.
“I was given the scripts to read and I thought it was a wonderful idea to play this cop. And, I thought it’s a wonderful project for my career, as well. I get along really well with Reema Kagti and the rest of the team. The contract that they offered was good, the part was good, I really liked the people I was working with, I liked the story and I liked the character. So, it just seemed like all of those things that tick marks.”
No one hates appreciation – we humans crave and work hard for that. We wanted to further understand how the actor felt when he saw the audience liking and appreciating his character.
“It’s not a flamboyant part and it’s written to stand out. So, when people pick it out and then do long threads about Devi Lal and his interaction with his daughter, his son, or him as a professional cop – that really makes you feel really good.”
Talking about his approach on the sets, he mentioned:
“The approach that I had is that I did the role with sincerity and honesty. I didn’t think about whether people are going to like it, whether the role stands out, or whether it was going to win awards – I just focused on the job and did it to the best of my ability.”
He concludes that some days might get a little hard but in the end, the appreciation makes it all worth the pain.
“Some days will be really good, some days will be just okay and some days will be shit, but then you have to try and give it your best every time and then when appreciation comes, it’s very satisfying because you didn’t think of all the distractions. So, that’s really a wonderful feeling.”
He also thanked his fans for always showering him with appreciation and love.
“It’s impossible for me to thank each and every one who is showing me appreciation. I keep sending as much as possible. It’s so overwhelming because I have so much gratitude and I want to personally shake their hand and give them a hug. The least I can do is to respond to all the messages. My DMs are always flooding with messages of appreciation. But I still try to respond to each and every one of them.”
With several good shows and movies being released, there’s always an element of competition. When we asked him if he ever feels competitive, this is what the actor said:
“Yeah, sure. We all have a certain sense of competition and it kicks in, but I think it’s best to sort of keep it in control. There is good competition and that is bad competition and if you cross the line, the competition can be very detrimental to the kind of work that you’re doing. I do have the wisdom now to push it aside and say that no, this is not a competition, this is a job, and I have to do my job to the best of my ability. If another actor is being competitive with me, it’s okay. But when it becomes about ego, then that’s not good competition.”
He, however, revealed that he does feel jealous at times with the roles and movies that other actors are doing and thinks it’s best to speak it out.
“I get jealous of other people, like their careers or films, and these days, I just tell them. I was super jealous of Vicky for URI, Rajkummar in most of his movies, Ayushmann in Andhadhun, and Varun in Badlapur. When I got a chance to meet them, I told them that my ass is burning with jealousy. When you’re honest about it, it really gets it out like it’s true and it doesn’t bother you.”
The actor, who holds a degree and even worked in the fashion world for years, revealed how he knew he always wanted to be an actor, ever since he was a kid.
“I always wanted to be an actor, as I can remember. I think I was five, 6-7 years old. I was fascinated by the cinema. However, I was good at drawing and painting. So, I gave it a shot and I got through the entrance. I went to NFD and I graduated. And, it created an environment at home where your parents are like that he has a job.”
Asking about his thoughts on awards and nominations and how important it is to him, he mentioned that he values little experiences more than awards.
“I think I value experiences a lot more. I think a lot of people are happy when I win awards but personally, I don’t attach much value to them. I don’t mean to disrespect these awards or the people who organize them, but I never fantasize about winning these awards. If I do win an award, I just want to make a nice speech.”
We also asked him about his non-negotiables about choosing a role and he said:
“I need to have a genuine interest in playing the part. All the other variables are negotiable, but the role has to compel me to do it.”
We asked the actor about that one thing about a show or a movie that makes it an instant hit, according to him and he said:
“If anybody had figured this out, they would be giving hits after hits. There are educated guesses. And then, there are trends that do work. But 100%? Nobody in the history of the entertainment business has figured out what people would really like.”
To conclude, he shared a little about his upcoming projects.
“Right now, I’m shooting in London for Ulajh and I’m enjoying it. It’s lovely weather here. The days are much longer, the nights are just five hours long. I have Guns & Gulaabs and Duranga season two coming up.”
The actor, like always, was candid, on-point, and well, hilarious!
