Gulshan Devaiah is a name I got familiar with after watching Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota where he played dual roles of the karate master Karate Mani and the psychotic villain Jimmy. He was outstanding in both avatars. Since then, I have loved him as Mandar Ponkshe in the film Hunterrr... his portrayal of a regular middle-class guy was so believable that anyone could easily identify with him. The character’s transition from adolescence, youth to adulthood with confusion, sexual desires, emotions of first love, companionship, and vulnerabilities were shown with such sensitivity that by the end of the film, I couldn’t stop but fall in love with him.

Gulshan’s brilliance once again stood out through his performance as the so-called ‘loser’ Nakul in the web series Afsos. The expressions on his face, his body language and his way of speaking as an under-confident person were such a delight to watch. Recently I am bowled over by his nuanced, complex and restrained performance in the film 8 A.M. Metro where he played Pritam. Pritam’s agony and vulnerabilities were so organically translated on screen that it was hard to hold one’s tears in the end. This film brought him out in a never-before-seen avatar which I thoroughly enjoyed. Mental health has hardly been dealt with so poignantly in any Hindi film.

His brief screen time as Guru Narayan in Badhaai Do was a treat to the eyes and soul. Starkly opposite was him playing the monster in Dibakar Banerjee’s segment of Ghost Stories on Netflix, another testament to his versatility as an artiste. As an ardent admirer of his craft, I wish this brilliant actor is offered more diverse roles that will be a treat to watch as an audience. (My favourite Gulshan Devaiah role is... June 15)

Sohini Basu

Gulshan Devaiah is one of the few actors who possesses exquisite acting talent but has not received the appreciation he deserves. He is calm, quiet and dynamic. He has not hesitated from experimenting with new genres and has impressed the audience with his all-round performances. Of the roles he has played, I would pick his role as Bhavani in Ram-Leela as his finest. Dressed in an off-white dhoti and kurta, along with a brightly coloured turban resting on his head and a rifle slinging from his shoulder, Bhavani was an interesting character. His personality was full of grey shades. He possessed an orthodox mindset that was unlikely to accept any negotiation between the feuding clans. When he discovered Ram and Leela’s relationship, he was enraged and devised a plan of inciting violence. He falsely made Leela sign some papers allowing him to inhumanly attack and exterminate the Rajadis. However, he finds himself tied in his own plans and is shot dead by Dhankor Maa marking the end of his ambitions.

Gulshan flawlessly fitted the role of an antagonist exhibiting a wide range of capabilities. His dialogue delivery was fabulous adding more interest to the film. I believe he needs that one perfect script which can easily catapult him to the limelight, earning him the acclaim he so rightly deserves.

Aayman Anwar Ali

This has to be one of his earlier movies, the blockbuster Ram-Leela, released in 2013. Gulshan Devaiah plays Bhavani, a trigger-happy member of the Sanera clan. He shoots at the son of Meghji Bhai, a chieftain of the rival Rajadi clan, of which Ram (Ranveer Singh) is a good-for-nothing loutish member. Bhavani’s main role is precipitating a violent war between both the warring tribes. He also forcibly drags Leela (Deepika Padukone) away after she has eloped. Though in a negative role, he does ample justice to it and enables fleshing out of the violent overtones of the story.

Pampa Paul

Gulshan Devaiah is an actor who has an impeccable range and can carry off eccentric characters with as much ease as the understated ones. With the scope of his roles ranging from a sex addict to a serious cop, he has always managed to keep the audience entertained. As the SHO Devi Singh in Dahaad, Gulshan delivered one of his career-best performances. From being cool to his kids to being ferocious to his subordinates and wife, the character offers Devaiah great space to perform, and he utilises it fully. Devaiah brings grace to his honest cop character. He is restrained which makes his character extremely likable. You don’t want anything bad to happen to him. He is the cop every Indian deserves and wants to have. He doesn’t believe in bribes and stands up for what is right, even though it doesn’t mean growth.

In one standout scene, Devi makes his son sit beside him and explains that the curiosity around sex is natural at his age and there’s nothing wrong with that. Gulshan Devaiah plays Devi with such magnetism and grace that it’s hard to look at anyone else when he’s in the frame. The actor in him enjoys it when his character is taken away from the chaos of the police station and is in his house. His performance is the standout of Dahaad.

Roshni Ojha

My favourite Gulshan Devaiah role is Nandu (Nandan Bakshi) from the movie A Death in the Gunj directed by Konkona Sensharma. The time frame of the film was 1979 and Devaiah changed his look completely for this movie. Slightly high front teeth, ‘70s hairstyle and square frame spectacles made him a totally different guy. Nandu’s selfish, indifferent behaviour towards his cousin Shutu (Vikrant Massey) gave a negative punch to Devaiah’s character. He encouraged his friends to make fun of Shutu. Devaiah acted as a nice family man who cares for his wife, daughter and old parents. But at the same time, his behaviour towards his cousin made him appear an insensitive bully. Gulshan Devaiah acted perfectly as a cool family man as well as a heartless, self-centred person. The grey shades of his character are brought out beautifully by his subtle acting.

Sarbani Banerjee

My favourite role of the handsome actor is the character of Karan Chaudhary aka KC, from the 2011 movie Shaitan, which is his first significant hit and also one of the films that brought him to the limelight. Gulshan portrayed the character of the rich, spoilt brat just superbly in that Bejoy Nambiar-directed crime thriller. He delivered an outstanding performance in the film and did undoubtedly one of the best jobs of his acting career.

Sourish Misra