Gulshan Devaiah, who plays the cold and chaotic gangster Karuna in director Nandini Reddy’s Maa Inti Bangaaram, has been closely gauging the response to the film and his performance. “I couldn’t be a part of the film’s promotional events due to personal reasons. Samantha, Raj (Nidimoru) and the team have been gracious,” he says over the phone from London, where he is shooting for a new project.This is Gulshan’s first Telugu film. “New people are discovering me,” he says. “The same thing happened with Kantara: Chapter 1. Though I’m a Kannadiga and grew up in Bengaluru, many people who didn’t know me earlier discovered me through the Kannada film.”The Samantha-starrer, which released last weekend, has grossed over ₹50 crore at the box office. “This is fantastic,” says Gulshan. “It frustrates me when some people in the media make doomsday predictions and say only certain kinds of films will work. That cannot be the whole truth. I am glad people are rediscovering the cinematic experience. Home entertainment can co-exist with theatrical viewing. I am even happier that this response is for a film led by a female star in a mass role, which has traditionally been a male bastion.”
Gulshan Devaiah
