“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – Walt Disney
For you watch Gulshan Devaiah act out the dual personality roles of a menacing business tycoon, and a stuttering scared son, with so much conviction, in “Hate Story”, the movie buff in you actually thanks his stars from bringing him in as an actor.
In the few movies that he has done till date, this 37-year-old fashion designer turned actor has proved his mettle.
The Artistic Roots That Found Their Way
Gulshan was born to a set of parents, who were involved and interested in theatre and literature, in spite of being engineers. As a result, they immediately recognized the creative streak in their boy and moulded him at the initial levels. He enrolled into National Institute of Fashion & Technology (NIFT) to study fashion design and later on spent 10 years as a designer, and also a brief time as a faculty member at the Wigan and Leigh College of Bengaluru. Hard to imagine him as a lecturer if you have seen him as his movie characters.
The Transition from Behind-the-Scenes to Forefront
Gulshan had been an active artist in the world of theatre during his life in Bengaluru, most notable one being “Butter and Mashed Banana” of Harami Theatre. After a successful stint in the world of fashion and theatre, Gulshan finally made his big debut in the movie “The Girl in Yellow Boots”, along with biggies like Naseeruddin Shah and Kalki Koechlin. However, he came into limelight with one of a kind erotic thriller “Hate Story”, where he played the negative character of Siddharth Dhanrajgir. His portrayal of the hateful business tycoon who could go to any limits for a revenge, was met with critical acclaim, and earned him many accolades.
An Actor with Many Shades
His negative and mean steaked characters continued in movies like “Shaitan”, and most notably, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Ram Leela”, where his character of the wicked nephew was appraised by all and sundry. We recently got to see him in yet another different avatar, in a comedy “Hunterrr”, as a sex addict. It was thoroughly refreshing to see shades of our own Joey and Barney Stinson, in this actor of many talents.
It takes nerve to portray such characters on screen, especially in the world of Indian cinema, and Gulshan sure had those. We as lovers of quality cinema would surely love to see him again and again in different characters. Looking at his skills, one can never guess the fact that it is all inherent, and that he has never been to an acting school!
The Roads Ahead
Quite firm on never being on the Television, as he finds the genre boring, we will be seeing more of Gulshan’s versatile skills in his upcoming projects; Love Affair with Kalki Koechlin, and Cabaret with Richa Chadda. Given his refined taste in choosing movies, and his powerful performances, we just can’t wait to see him again on the silver screen. We love this actor, who is breath of fresh air in the mass of stereotypes.
