Gulshan Devaiah, who plays King Kulashekhara, in Rishab Shetty-directed Kantara: Chapter 1, revealed the first scene he shot for the film and the toughest scene in an exclusive chat with NDTV.
The First Scene Gulshan Shot For Kantara 1
Around 80% of the film was shot in real-life locations deep inside the forests of Karnataka, adding texture, danger and authenticity to every scene. When asked about the first scene Gulshan shot, he opened up about what went behind the scene.
"My coronation scene. That shot when the crown comes up, that is the first shot that I gave. It was a long day. Lots of diesel lamps for the lighting, the suit. A woman, a fan girl of mine passed out also, because it got really hot. I think she had forgotten to eat properly her breakfast or something like that. And she was taken away and then they fed her and gave her electrol and then by the time the close shots came, she was back there," Gulshan told NDTV.
Shooting in real-life locales was never been easy for any actor. Unless you take challenges, great things can't be achieved, believes Gulshan Devaiah.
"You have to go against the grain, swim against the stream, so against the flow of the stream. You have to prepare yourself," said the Badhaai Do actor.
The Iconic Horse Sequence
Gulshan Devaiah shared in detail the horse sequence scene, calling it "the most physically and technically gruelling" shot.
"Only the horse sequence I had to be prepared for, because I'm a novice rider, I'm not a very good rider. I was on that horse for like 10 days. And the whole sequence was very long. There is a war and all the chaos and then it leads to the well, and then there's a sequence over there and all of that. So that took 20 to 21 days," recalled the actor.
Recalling how he managed to shoot with a horse, Gulshan said, "And you have to control the horse in all the chaos. It's a well-trained horse, but still, it would flinch. It's an animal, and it's difficult for it. And sometimes it just doesn't want to do what you want it to do. It flinches, it turns away, it wants to go and join its friends. I mean, there were other horses also, which were part of the same stable. I had to somehow control it. I'm very proud that I managed to technically get through those scenes."
Kantara 1 And Its Deep Connect With Spirituality
Kantara: Chapter 1 doesn't just offer spectacle, it digs into the ancient roots of the "Bhoota Kola" culture of coastal Karnataka, reviving the sacred daiva worship practices that were introduced in the original film.
When asked about his own spiritual perspective, Gulshan said, "I want to have my own private way of understanding the divine and have my own relationship with the divine, or cosmic energy. I look at it as cosmic energy.. And right now, we are feeling it, and we are also made from cosmic energy. This is my perspective. There is no fact, this is all just belief and theory, what I am saying."
Gulshan's point of view on spirituality stands in sharp contrast to that of Rishab Shetty.
"Rishabh has a different way. He's based in rooted tradition of that land. He's based in his beliefs of his community, of that region. And he's very religious, deeply religious. I've seen it. And this is a sincere expression of his beliefs through this story," Gulshan said.
Kantara 1, mounted on a budget of Rs 125 crore, minted Rs 470 crore in all languages at the domestic box office in two weeks.
