Gulshan Devaiah, who plays the formidable King Kulashekhara in Kantara: A Legend - Chapter 1, can't stop talking about one man - lead star and director Rishab Shetty.
In an exclusive interview with NDTV, the actor -- known for his intense and layered performances in films such as Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota and Badhaai Do -- says working with Rishab Shetty has been one of the most inspiring experiences of his career.
"So, Rishab called me one day," Gulshan Devaiah begins, laughing at the memory. "I've known him for a while. We'd met and he had pitched me some scripts before, which didn't really see the light of day. Then lockdown happened and all that. So he called me one day and said he wants to talk to me. He was very excited. He said, 'We've written something with you in mind. We want you to hear it'."
That something turned out to be Kantara Chapter 1. "This was sometime in 2023," Gulshan Devaiah recalls. "I heard the script, and I thought if I say no to this, it would be a stupid idea. The part was interesting, and the film, I knew, would be great for my career too. I really enjoyed watching the first one. And I really enjoyed meeting Rishab and vibing with him. I thought it would be a good idea."
Gulshan Devaiah says what struck him most about Rishab Shetty was his single-minded passion. "He's a man who is possessed," Gulshan says, almost in awe.
"If you look at his career, all of his films were small ones. They've done well, some of them really well. Kantara did brilliantly, but it was a Rs 16-crore film. If we compare that to the Hindi film industry, that's a small-budget movie, right? That's the scale he was working at. And now suddenly you have a film that's Rs 125 crore plus (budget). It's a completely different scale," he adds.
That leap, says Gulshan Devaiah, came with enormous pressure. "The pressure of expectations from audiences - that it has to be as good, if not better, than the first Kantara - to act and perform a physically and emotionally demanding part, to direct a team of actors which is way larger than the first movie, to be the head of a set that's ten times the size of what he had before, to deal with that day-to-day stress - it's amazing. And to do all that exceptionally well over 250 days... I'm in awe of that ability. Forget everything else, I just want to learn how to handle stress and pressure. I've seen him do that daily."
The admiration deepens when Gulshan Devaiah talks about the gruelling shoot. "We were shooting in real forests," he says.
"They had to construct roads and even build a bridge to get to a certain place where 4x4s could go. And then it would start raining. Some days were a complete washout. You have a short window of time to get everyone out because if you wait too long, the roads get bad and cars start sliding everywhere.
"It's dangerous. And it happened a bunch of times when we were on set, in costume, and suddenly we had to be out in 20 minutes. The entire team - 600 people. He knew he couldn't shoot that day. He's behind schedule. It's action inside the forest. And yet, he somehow found a way to keep going."
Gulshan Devaiah recounts mornings when Rishab Shetty would be up before everyone else. "He would show up early in the morning, and we're still getting ready, and I can hear his voice on the mic, and I'm like, 'Oh sh**, he's here'," he laughs.
"And then he's one of the last to leave. All that makeup and body paint - they had to put coconut oil on him to take it off. I'd go say bye and he'd still be sitting there while four or five people were rubbing oil on him. Then he goes home, sleeps three or four hours, and is back again. I can't do it. I wouldn't even try."
Apart from Gulshan Devaiah's chilling antagonist, the film stars Rishab Shetty as the warrior Berme and Rukmini Vasanth as Princess Kanakavathi, along with Jayaram in a key role.
For Gulshan Devaiah, though, what he'll carry with him from the shoot is not just the grandeur of the film, but the grit of its creator.
"Sometimes even when he's is losing his cool at something, you know it comes from sincerity," he says. "His team loves him, they revere him. They're doing this because he's saying, 'Let's do this'. He's like a commander. And to deal with stress, expectations, controversies, even people trying to pull you down - and still keep moving - that requires incredible strength."
The actor pauses, and then smiles. "The only thing I'd like to learn from Rishab Shetty," he says, "is his ability to handle stress and pressure".
Released in multiple languages, Kantara Chapter 1 has stormed the box office, collecting over Rs 330 crore nett in India within its first few weeks and becoming one of 2025's biggest hits. The prequel to the 2022 phenomenon Kantara, this one goes back in time to explore the origin of the Bhuta Kola tradition, its mythic roots, and the complex relationship between man, nature, and divine power.
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