'I like to do things in a particular way'

Strong presence

Bengaluru boy Gulshan Devaiah made his mark in Bollywood with movies like ‘Shaitan’, ‘Hate Story’ and ‘Hunterrr’. However, his career started with Anurag Kashyap’s short film, ‘That Girl in Yellow Boots’, where he starred opposite Kalki Koechlin. The actor plays all his characters with confidence and brings in an interesting element that his fans adore.

During the promotion of his film, ‘A Death in the Gunj’, Gulshan chats with Anila Kurian about his role in the movie and his future projects.


Tell us about your role in ‘A Death in the Gunj’...

I play Nandan Bakshi, a middle-aged family man. He has come to his father’s house for a vacation with his wife and daughter. His idea is to hang out with his childhood friends there and have a good time. That’s how the story goes.


Did you face any challenges during the shoot?

Oh, yes! There was one old Ambassador that I had to drive and it was the worst thing ever. No one had any control over it — we weren’t sure if it will start and it didn’t have a reverse gear. It was excruciating but I’m proud that I  pulled it off!


Any other annoying moments?

(Laughs) Kalki is always there to annoy me. She used to tell people that I have an OCD problem.


Do you?

No!...okay, maybe a little bit. I like to do things in a particular way and be on time. But she definitely added more ‘masala’ to it. (Laughs) I’m just kidding though, she was cool.


Your other projects that the audience can look forward to?

I completed a web series called ‘Smoke’ and did a bilingual film called ‘Hadsa’ in Hindi and Marathi. It was my first Marathi project.


A character you wish you had played.

Raghu aka Raghav Purohit from ‘Badlapur’.


Do you have a favourite non-alcoholic drink?

Yes! Apple juice.


French fries or pizza?

Pizza with fresh mozzarella, rocket leaves, portobello mushrooms and parma ham.


Skydiving or surfing?

Right now, neither. I’m taking care of my injured knee but maybe skydiving later.


Places to visit on your bucket list...

Tokyo and Jamaica.


If you had your own band, what would you call it?

It would be a new-age reggae band called ‘Super Gulu’.


If you could trade lives with one person for a day, who would it be?

Donald Trump. I probably can’t make things better but I can make it much worse than he can possibly imagine.


Three random things about you...

I sleep a lot and my wife hates it. I don’t read books and for some reason, people keep gifting them for my birthday. I am a pretty good cook!