New Delhi
Hindi film âBlurrâ premiered this December and we got talking to actor Gulshan Devaiah who leads the project with Taapsee Pannu as her husband. A horror-thriller, âBlurrâ is about a woman named Gayatri (Taapsee) who finds out about the untimely death of her twin sister, who was visually impaired.
Happy with the response to the film, actor Gulshan Devaiah, who was seen in âBadhaai Doâ prior to this, speaks to WION about living his dream, not making any plans for the future and basically chilling in life. Setting the tone for the interview, Gulshan said heâs doing âokayâ at the start of the conversation and maintained âokay is consistentâ.
Hereâs what followed: (Read the excerpts of the chat as follows)
WION: How would you describe your role in the film Blurr and what made you sign for the part?
Gulshan: I play a husband and that's about it. What sort of a husband, you will have to see the film for that. I always thought me and Taapsee would look good on screen. So when this came my way, I didn't want to miss that opportunity. Also, I wanted to work with Ajay. I know itâs not a challenging role, but sometimes it's good to do the easy stuff.
WION: This was your first time working with Taapsee Pannu. How was she on the set?
Gulshan: I always thought that we would look good together on the screen and we are. Taapseeâs very easy to work with. She has a very practical process. She doesnât like doing too many takes and personally I donât mind them. But eventually that didnât turn out to be a problem. Taapsee is a terrific actor.
WION: How do you feel about many films foregoing theatres for a direct to OTT release like your own? Why do you think many films in the recent have tanked at the box office?
Gulshan: I had nothing to do with the decision. I feel itâs okay. It's been a tough year post pandemic for films to release and if OTTâs didnât exist, all films would release feature length. Because of OTT, it's a longer format, itâs very empowering to storytellers.
Problem is in the business model. Business model of theatres is quite difficult since everyone has only been publicising the first three day collection. Itâs very flawed because it doesn't take into account the size of the release, the cost of production and all that. Thereâs too much secrecy. The numbers are shrouded in doubt. Itâs about perception but it creates a lot of pressure on the makers. Itâs not peopleâs fault entirely as certain things are publicised a certain way and they catch on. People start to believe that's the truth. That's why perception is important. When there is a negative perception, people want to stay away. So it makes total sense for anyone in this business to say that okay letâs stay away from theatres right now. Although Blurr is a film that should be experienced in theatres because of the nature of the film.
As for which one will survive this test, I would say both OTT and theatrical releases will win parallelly. They have to find their own groove and settle. Charm of theatres is not over as some movies are still able to draw audiences like Drishyam. Films from other languages are also doing well. People have more options now. While watching OTT is private, theatres are a communal experience.
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WION: What next after Blurr?
Gulshan: Two of my projects have been announced. Thereâs âDahaadâ on Amazon and with Netflix I have âGuns and Gulaabsâ. I have completed a couple of feature films.
WION: As we approach the end of the year, how would you sum up 2022 for yourself? Did it meet your expectations?
Gulshan: Itâs been okay. I have had a lot of work piled up so it was back to back work for me. It was a bit exhausting. Now I plan to get back to work at a slightly more reasonable pace. I received a lot of love especially for one film âBadhaai Doâ in which I played a 6-minute part. âBadhaai Doâ wasnt my film but I'm getting all the praise. I have had 4 projects this year. Workwise it's been a good year.
WION: What plans for 2023?
Gulshan: I just intend on carrying on from here. I have stopped fantasising. I had a fantasy when I was a kid that I wanted to be a Hindi film hero. I want my poster everywhere. I am living my dream â of being an actor in the entertainment business, an actor in predominantly Hindi entertainment. I'm very happy with that. I am a bit more practical. I want to now improve on my skill set. Nothing special planned for 2023.
WION: Any New Year plans youâd like to share with your fans.
Gulshan: As of now nothing. I have not planned anything. I stopped planning a while back. If something comes up, Iâll go with the flow. I'll just see how things pan out. Last year, I was in bed at 10:30 pm. Itâs just another day for me.
WION: How do you find Indian films scoring nominations at prestigious international awards like recently RRR won major nods at the Golden Globes?
Gulshan: It should win. Itâs like tilting of the axis, how it happened with the Chinese and Korean cinema. It will open doors and build the foundation for an entire generation of filmmakers who have stories to tell. Itâs a pioneering moment. I donât care about awards but what it means for the Indian cinema.
âBlurrâ is currently streaming on ZEE5. It premiered on December 9, 2022.