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.