Gulshan Devaiah on B’wood controversies: People are raising voice with insincerity

BY ARUNDHUTI BANERJEE

Mumbai, Oct 24  Actor Gulshan Devaiah feels recent controversies, related to allegations of Bollywood-drug trade nexus as well as nepotism charges, which have been surrounding the film fraternity, do not bother him.

“Without taking names, I want to say that the controversies and generalisation that have defamed our film industry in the recent past do not bother me. What bothers me is the people who are raising their voice with a huge amount of insincerity. If you know that you are an influential voice of the film industry, will you not check your own words before uttering them? That is why I have difficulty trusting them. The audience that is observing the toxicity, should sit back and try to understand who is benefitting from these controversies? As an audience, are you?” said the actor.

Gulshan has managed to make his mark in the entertainment industry across mediums. He has impressed in films like “Shaitan”, “Hate Story”, “Goliyon Ki Raasleela: Ram-Leela”, and “A Death In The Gunj”, just as he has scored in web series like “Smoke” and “Afsos”. His new film “Footfairy” releases on television.

In his upcoming film, Gulshan has worked with budding filmmaker Kanishk Varma. Asked if the actor-director equation changes depending on on the experience of the director, Gulshan told IANS: “I am not friend with Dibakar (Banerjee) the way I am friend with Kanishk but then I have a different level of respect for Dibakar because of the excellent director he is. So when I worked with him in ‘Ghost Stories;, it was a unique actor-director equation on set.”

“Who I collaborate with matters to me for sure. I would really love to work with Vasan (Bala) and Anurag (Kashyap) and not to, as well. We are good friends and there is a great comfort level. If I only work with my good friends and keep myself in that comfort zone all the time, I will stop pushing myself towards challenges and that will not help in my career growth,” he reasoned.

He explained his point further: “When I was working in ‘Commando 3’ I wasn’t friends with the director initially. Everyone was new to me — the director, actors and crew members. Eventually, we got along really well. That is how we expand our professional lives. I think I would love to work with Vasan and Anurag but not in every film! Because our equation or bonding is not defined by the number of projects we do together,” explained the actor.

The actor made his debut with Anurag Kashyap’s 2011 release, “That Girl In Yellow Boots” and also appeared in the filmmaker’s 2015 co-production, “Hunterrr”. With Vasan Bala, he worked in “Peddlers” (2012) and “Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota” (2018).

Gulshan’s latest, “Footfairy”, is an &pictures original film all set to hit television screens on October 24.