JOIN US'I'm quite pessimistic'
He spent nearly 10 years in the fashion industry in Bengaluru before he decided to pursue his dreams of becoming an actor. Now, with films like ‘That Girl in Yellow Boots’ and ‘Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela’ to his name, Gulshan Devaiah is all set to take the industry by storm. In his latest project ‘Cabaret’, with Richa Chadda, he will take on a different role. And his movie ‘Peddlers’ will be showcased at the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. In a chat with ‘Metrolife’, he says...
Your greatest fear?
I don’t know, it keeps changing from time to time. But I do fear that I won’t matter. When I look back to a few years ago, I don’t know how I got to where I am now. I just had this dream to be an actor and when I came to Mumbai, I began figuring my way through. Now, I’m quite happy with where I am but I’m also scared that it’ll go away because the
entertainment industry is very uncertain. You are relevant one day and not the next. My strategy is to stay true to my craft, what I do and who I am. But there’s never a guarantee.
What is the one quality you dislike about yourself?
I’m quite pessimistic (laughs). It prepares me for the worst but...no, score that out. I tend to give unsolicited advice to my friends and co-actors and sometimes they put me in my place for this. It’s just that I get excited, because acting is a creative process, and end up telling my co-stars what to do. But I do it with all innocence and not because I think that they are incapable or not as good as me. It’s not that, I like these people and enjoy working with them and I know it’s uncalled for. But I’m not conscious of it and sometimes I forget and start speaking. I do it with people who are senior to me as well; I get comfortable with them and start telling them what to do!
If you could edit the past, what would it be?
I’ve never really thought about it...nothing. Except for one small thing...actually, no. I’m happy with my life and accept by defeats and victories. That’s what makes me me.
The worst job you’ve ever had?
Nothing. There were jobs that were jobs and I didn’t like doing them, but I did them nonetheless. I don’t particularly enjoy working on TV commercials because the process is so technical but even that’s not the worst. I get paid for it so I can’t complain. And it would be disrespecting the job and other actors if I said it was.
One (living) person you admire the most?
That’s a tough questions...I don’t think there’s one person but a combination of many. My admiration for people shifts and so do my influences. (On an after thought) I
admire my mother. She’s an extremely talented person and her illness has taken a big bite out of her life. It’s a cliche answer but at a time when she couldn’t be there for her only son, she was still there. And she didn’t put pressure on me to stay at home and look after them when I moved to Mumbai. This takes immense courage and strength.
The biggest blunder you’ve made?
(Laughing) There have been many botched auditions. One time, I was invited to give a Ted Talk in Bengaluru and I botched it up. I was overwhelmed that I was under-prepared.
Favourite word?
‘Good night’. ‘Good night!’. Right now, I need lots of sleep; I can’t get enough of it.
An outfit you’d wear all the time?
A suit. I’d love to dress in a suit everyday. And I wouldn’t accessorise it much. I like to dress formal but not super formal. Also, I’m a sucker for greys and blues.