Gulshan Devaiah is quite unpredictable. He opens up with a song before our interaction begins. Fixing his hair and smiling over Zoom, he croons ‘Chehra Kya Dekhte Ho’, a Kumar Sanu and Asha Bhosle duet, from the 1993 film Salaami. It seems like an exercise in ‘breaking the rhythm’ of a scene, something the actor has spoken about in previous interviews while owing the method to the late thespian Irrfan Khan.
“Unpredictability is not doing something suddenly, it’s not playing to a rhythm,” says Gulshan. “I saw Irrfan doing it in Rog (2005). In a scene where he talks about missing home and his mother. So, when you already know your lines, when you know what you have to do, how you have to react, how do you maintain the illusion of reality intact? By this, by not playing to the rhythm.”
Gulshan recently featured in the espionage-thriller Ulajh, as a calculated, honey-trapping agent. “My character is just a chef,” he says with a grin. This is also his first collaboration with National Award-winning director Sudhanshu Saria, who is known for films like Loev (2015), Knock Knock Knock (2020), and for directing two episodes of the series Big Girls Don’t Cry (2024). “I was not familiar with his work,” says Gulshan.
“His process can sometimes irritate because he obsesses over very small details. There was constructive friction between us but it never went overboard.” The actor, in another interview, had candidly spoken about not “vibing” with co-star Janhvi Kapoor off-screen. “I have worked with people I don’t like, Janhvi is definitely not that,” he says.
“Sometimes you put your personal opinions aside and do your job. I am a professional and she is too.” But aren’t things easier if you have a rapport with your co-actor? “Definitely,” says Gulshan. “But it’s similar with me and Rajkummar (Rao), we don’t really talk much otherwise but there is still chemistry between us on screen.”
Acting science aside, the economics hasn’t been favouring. Hindi films have failed to leave a mark at the box office. Ulajh, since its release last Friday, has had a steep drop in box office numbers after Monday.
While last year, Jawan and Pathaan and Gadar 2 brought Hindi cinema out of its slump, it was momentary as star vehicles like Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Maidaan haven’t attracted enough footfalls at the ticket counters. But Gulshan feels this is nothing out of the ordinary. “It has always been difficult to run films in theatres,” he says. “It was tougher in the 70s and 80s. But the cost of production is also impacting us a lot.” Is he referring to high star fees? “That’s one of the many reasons.
But there are also other variable costs, like those of marketing.” South films, on the other hand, continue to reign. Kalki 2898 AD is the highest grosser this year with a business of over Rs 640 crore. “Kalki for me is a pan-Indian film. People don’t care anymore if it is a Hindi film or a Hindi-dubbed film. And South films doing well doesn’t mean Hindi cinema will die out,” he says. “The sky is very big. All stars can shine together.”
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