Actor Gulshan Devaiah has opened up about the profound impact Irrfan Khan had on his approach to acting, describing the late actor as a major influence on his career. In a recent interview, Gulshan explained how he learned by observing accomplished performers while consciously avoiding imitation. He also recalled being overwhelmed by grief when he heard about Irrfan’s death, admitting that he broke down while speaking to his mother.
‘Irrfan was a huge influence on me’: Gulshan Devaiah on learning from the late actor
Speaking to Hindustan Times, Gulshan said he had absorbed elements of Irrfan’s acting both consciously and subconsciously. Since he had not attended drama school, he learned by watching and studying the work of accomplished performers.“Absolutely, both consciously and subconsciously. I never try to copy him, but Irrfan was a huge influence on me throughout my career. Since I didn’t go to drama school, I learned acting by observing great performers. However, I was very conscious that I didn’t want to copy anyone — whether Irrfan, Manoj Bajpayee, Daniel Day-Lewis, Robert De Niro, or Kate Winslet. And that’s how I learned,” he said.Gulshan’s approach, as he explained, was to draw inspiration from actors he admired while developing his own style rather than replicating their performances.
‘He would draw attention’: Gulshan Devaiah on Irrfan Khan’s magnetic screen presence
Gulshan also reflected on what made Irrfan such a compelling performer. He pointed to the actor’s ability to command attention without relying on exaggerated gestures or dramatic delivery.“Irrfan had this quality that you didn’t know what he would do next, and many times he didn’t do much; he would hold back. Genetically, he had those big, god-gifted eyes that held your attention even when he was doing very little on screen. He used them really well. Sometimes he would deliver lines without even looking at his co-actor. He was doing things that were really different,” Gulshan said.He added that Irrfan’s unconventional approach to dialogue delivery and performance gave him a distinctive screen presence.“He would deliver dialogues differently, yet there was this magnetic attraction to him, and one wouldn’t say that he was not as good-looking as Hrithik Roshan or Shah Rukh Khan or Salman Khan, but somehow he would draw attention. So certainly, he was one of the greatest influences among many actors,” he said.For Gulshan, Irrfan’s appeal lay in his ability to hold an audience’s attention through subtle expressions, restraint and an unpredictable approach to a scene.
‘I was weeping on the phone with my mother’: Gulshan recalls Irrfan Khan’s death
Gulshan said he had studied Irrfan’s work closely over the years, but only realised the depth of his emotional attachment to the actor when he heard about his death.“I remember weeping on the phone with my mother when the news broke. He was truly a one-of-a-kind actor. This is why his death, not only for me but for millions of people, felt very personal, like a family member has passed away. I was talking to my mother and weeping, and my mother was like, ‘I didn’t know you liked him so much,’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, neither did I,’” he recalled.
Gulshan Devaiah’s upcoming film ‘Little Thomas ’
On the work front, Gulshan Devaiah is preparing for the release of ‘Little Thomas’. Directed by Kaushal Oza, the film follows a curious young boy who desperately wants a sibling. It is scheduled to arrive in theatres on October 23.
