Gulshan Devaiah: From Kodagu Roots to Kantara’s Mythic Saga
- Kodagu Express Bureau
- Oct 4
- 2 min read
Bengaluru: Bollywood actor Gulshan Devaiah, a native of Kodagu with strong Bengaluru connections, has once again found himself in the limelight with the release of Kantara: Chapter 1 on October 2. In this eagerly awaited prequel, he steps into the shoes of Kulashekara, a key character in the period action drama.
Born into a Kodava family, Gulshan Devaiah grew up in Bengaluru, where his early exposure to theatre shaped his artistic instincts. He recalls being a reserved child who only discovered his confidence on stage. This discovery began at Cluny Convent, Jalahalli, where teachers and nuns spotted his natural flair for performance. His parents’ own creative pursuits also played a role—his mother Pushpa Devaiah, despite a career at Bharat Electronics Ltd., actively pursued theatre until health issues forced her to stop, while his father, K.A. Devaiah, was immersed in music. “I grew up surrounded by rehearsals. Though I was timid offstage, I felt liberated in front of an audience,” he once told The Hindu.
His first brush with theatre came through Forum Three, a Bengaluru-based group with which he performed his debut play nearly 20 years ago. That moment laid the foundation for his long association with acting, eventually drawing him into the world of cinema.
Devaiah was born on 28 May 1978 in Bengaluru. After completing his schooling at Cluny Convent and St Joseph’s Indian High School, he pursued design at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT). For nearly a decade, he worked in the fashion industry before the pull of performance led him back to his first love: acting.
He began by working in English-language theatre in Bengaluru, later moving to Mumbai in search of bigger breaks. His first film role arrived in Anurag Kashyap’s That Girl in Yellow Boots (2010), where he shared the screen with Kalki Koechlin and Naseeruddin Shah. The film travelled to major festivals in Toronto and Venice, establishing him as a fresh face with talent to watch. Over the years, he has carved a niche for himself with unconventional roles—whether as Bhavani, the hot-headed character in Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, or as a conflicted policeman in Dahaad.
Now, his latest project, Kantara: Chapter 1, takes him back to Karnataka, albeit in a mythological setting. Directed and written by Rishab Shetty, the film is backed by Hombale Films’ Vijay Kiragandur and Chaluve Gowda. Positioned as a prequel to the 2022 blockbuster Kantara, it journeys into the origins of the Bhuta Kola ritual and the ancestral tensions first introduced in the earlier film.
Set against the backdrop of pre-colonial coastal Karnataka, the narrative promises to intertwine folklore, spirituality, and action while expanding on the profound themes of man’s connection with divinity and the natural world.
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