Gulshan Devaiah: Want to direct an action film some day

After toying with fashion Gulshan Devaiah quit the field to experiment with acting It has been a thrilling ride since then He doesnrsquot know what the future holds but he is enjoying the present relishing the diverse roles If ZEE5rsquos Duranga sees him essay the role of a serial killer he plays a straitlaced teacher in MXPlayerrsquos Shiksha Mandal In a conversation with midday Devaiah talks about his eccentric tag his future plans and playing the good guy for a changeEdited excerpts from the interviewYou donrsquot fit into the regular mould of an actor going by your projects Has it been a conscious decision to keep surprising yourselfI am conscious of what I donrsquot want to do The idea is to keep trying different roles If I am true to myself I will keep trying new things until I feel like I am doneDo you think there will be a day when yoursquoll feel like you are doneMost definitely When I was doing theatre and realised one day that I was not having fun anymore I stopped There is a strong possibility of that happening laughsGulshan Devaiah in DurangaDo you feel typecast in eccentric rolesYou end up getting similar offers after a project After Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota 2018 I was often offered quirky characters and villainous roles after Goliyon Ki Raasleela RamLeela 2013 But it is up to me whether I wish to take it up or notAlso ReadExclusive Gulshan Devaiah The business model of theatrical release is the most difficultWhat was your approach to the role in DurangaI found the character intriguing because I didnrsquot know how to play it Then I discussed some ideas with the directors Pradeep Sarkar and Aijaz Khan and Goldie Behl showrunner Once they gave me the goahead it felt like a good ideaWere you surprised watching yourself in the seriesI havenrsquot watched it yet but mostly it is terrifying to see yourself on screen I enjoy as well as donrsquot enjoy watching myself It is quite exciting to see the character unfold the way you have envisioned it But at the same time it is impossible not to be critical of your own performances I try not to be too hard on myselfA similar character was attempted in Ek Villain How different is DurangaI have no idea about Ek Villain 2014 since I havenrsquot watched it Duranga is an adaptation of the Korean show Flower of Evil which has been sufficiently changed to suit the Indian psyche It is an exciting and entertaining thrillerThe show has a twisted theme How dark is too dark for youOf late I havenrsquot watched any content that is too dark laughs Wersquove emerged from the lighthearted content and can explore slightly darker concepts Having said that I donrsquot think Duranga is dark It is a thriller and has some psychological elementsAlso ReadBombay Bol Gulshan Devaiah explains citys lingoAfter playing eccentric characters in your projects how different is it to play an allwhite part in Shiksha MandalIn the show I play a teacher which is something I have done briefly I took my job seriously and enjoyed it I believe I was quite good at it my students said so So I connected with the role It is about a regular person who has to deal with unpleasant circumstances It was a nice change for me to play the good guyWhat did you teachI have graduated in fashion So I used to briefly teach fashion for two to three years I enjoyed it then I started to not give a st about my classes I started showing up unprepared for classes Thatrsquos when I decided that it was time to quit because it was not fun anymoreIf you had to make another career switch what would that beI havenrsquot thought of it Maybe I will try to tell a story or direct a film or maybe go back to fashion Some people have suggested direction but I donrsquot know if they were serious or making fun of me based on all the suggestions I keep giving directors laughs I do have some farfetched ideas but I am not ready for direction I want to direct an action film someday but I want to do it without using any of the usual tropes I want to approach it like a drama