IN Dibakar Banerjeeu2019s short film that was part of the Ghost Stories anthology, Gulshan Devaiah plays a human- size ape. The one who will eat his own daughter. Although he is unrecognisable under the prosthetics, the brutal swag comes through convincingly. And suddenly, although you have seen him in Hunterr, you are left saying, u201c Hey, he was good! Why am I not seeing more of him?u201d Well, there is more. Devaiah is now in Afsos, where he plays a man committed to committing suicide, and the chaos that ensues. The Amazon Original series has received favourable reviews, and we are not surprised. Whether in Shaitan, or Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota, Devaiah has managed to bring gravitas to his characters.
Right now, he is shooting in Rajasthan for Reema Kagtiu2019s web show, Fallen. He says the man- eating ape was tough to play. u201c Dibakar wanted a u2018 performanceu2019, even from behind the prosthetics. You know sometimes, you canu2019t even move a finger [ because of the weight]. Itu2019s like being locked in a small room. I had to really prep physically for it, so I could create that performance.u201d In Afsos, he says, he tried to play a man who thinks he is depressed. u201c He is like a puppy, easily swayed. But the point is that he only thinks he wants to commit suicide, and is fulfilling a prophecy he has designed.
The writers were very careful, especially since mental health is bang in the middle of everyday conversation. We donu2019t make light of suicide anywhere.
Every joke needs to have a context, or else it loses meaning,u201d says the 41- year- old.
A l t h o u g h Devaiah doesnu2019t have a check list of the sort of movies he wants to do, he has made sure to choose carefully. And he says, even if he gets a u201c mainstreamu201d role , he would try to interpret it differently. u201c I think itu2019s all about not looking at things in a straightforward manner.
My characters are influenced by the way I think about life, or the world, at that particular moment.
I have realised you have to be convinced of the characteru2019s agenda, and then submit to it.
Thatu2019s when you can do a good job of making people believe in it.u201d He may have the acting hacks pat down, but Devaiah admits it has taken him a while to get a hang of the business of filmmaking. u201c Itu2019s a hustle. Being good is not good enough. Your craft and career are two different things. Itu2019s all about having the right projection. I know my work will have the maximum impact, but attention spans are low, so you have to learn how to get yourself out there.u201d The younger lot of actors, he says, he learns from by just watching.
And when he gets time off from work, he catches up on YouTube videos, about sneakers and guns. u201c I can strip an AK47 and put it back, theoretically of course,u201d he says.
He is also a history buff, the subject that u201c puts everything into perspectiveu201d. u201c I watched this series on World War 2. It spoke of how the rise of nationalism was the seed. Itu2019s similar to what we are going through right now as a nation.
History makes you realise how humans react, and how sorely lacking we are in balance.u201d aastha. banan@ mid- day. com Aastha Atray Bana Wada n Dibakar wanted a u2018 performanceu2019, even from behind the prosthetics. You know sometimes, you canu2019t even move a finger [ because of the weight]. Itu2019s like being locked in a small room.
