Gulshan Devaiah earned plenty of praise for playing the villainous King Kulashekara in Rishab Shetty’s mythological action drama ‘Kantara Chapter 1’. Recently, the actor opened up about the difficulties of bringing mythological characters to life on screen. He also weighed in on Ranbir Kapoor’s much-awaited ‘Ramayana’, backing its global ambitions and saying Indian films that set out to reach audiences around the world deserve support.
Gulshan Devaiah says convincing audiences isn’t difficult
Asked whether actors find it hard to convince audiences when playing mythological or fantastical characters, Gulshan Devaiah said he doesn’t think so. Talking to Hindustan Times, he said, “I don’t think so. Kantara was a work of fiction; with regard to the Ramayana, there is already a lot of literature. I don’t think it’s difficult. Also, people come to theatres with the mindset that it’s make-believe, but still, if you make them feel the story and the scene, they will give you the benefit of the doubt”.Gulshan added that a mythological film’s believability rests on several elements. “It also depends on how good a film is shot, the performances and other things in order to keep that illusion going. I don’t think playing mythological characters or historical characters is that difficult unless there are some expectations. For example, certain characters are very revered and divine, like Shivaji Maharaj; he is almost a divine person for Maharashtrians, so to interpret him becomes tricky,” he explained.The actor said audience expectations and nostalgia for older, familiar portrayals can make certain roles more demanding. Referring to Ranbir playing Lord Rama in ‘Ramayana’, he pointed out that the character comes with expectations of his own. “Even Rama has that (baggage of expectation) because (he is called) maryada purushottam. There is nostalgia attached to it also because there is an entire generation that has very fond feelings for Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan and Arun Govil playing Lord Ram, so you tend to measure that old feeling with this,” he said.
Gulshan Devaiah backs the global ambitions of Ramayana
Devaiah also spoke about the global ambitions of Ranbir’s Ramayana and what makes the film stand apart. In his view, the film is aimed at a much wider audience, including both the Indian diaspora and viewers outside it. “I think this film caters to a much larger audience, to the Indian diaspora and to the non-Indian diaspora audience as well. The ambition is to go global. Also, people can say a thousand things about it, but I think that having an ambition like this is not a bad thing. Like there is no bigger market than Hollywood for English films, so if an Indian film has that ambition that everyone in the world should watch it, then it’s a great ambition,” he said.
Gulshan Devaiah compares ‘Ramayana’ to SS Rajamouli’s ‘RRR’
He also appealed to audiences to back Indian films that aim to reach viewers across the world, whatever their personal opinions about them. Pointing to SS Rajamouli’s ‘RRR’, he said its success in the US was a good sign for Indian cinema. “Whether you like it or not, that’s a different thing, but one should rally behind it. Like, I didn’t really vibe with RRR, but I love that it did so well in the US. It is good for Indian films that at least Rajamouli has his foot in the door, and more will follow. Ramayana seems to be that, so for an ambition of our film to go global and still rooted in our culture, it is good,” he said.
About ‘Ramayana’
Nitesh Tiwari’s ‘Ramayana’ features Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Ram, Sai Pallavi as Sita and Yash as Ravana. The screen adaptation of the Hindu epic is being made as a two-part project, with the first part set to arrive around Diwali 2026.
Gulshan Devaiah’s next film ‘Little Thomas’
Gulshan, meanwhile, will next be seen in Kaushal Oza’s ‘Little Thomas’, co-starring Rasika Dugal, which is slated for a theatrical release on October 23.