Mumbai: Actor Gulshan Devaiah, who garnered widespread acclaim for his intense portrayal of the antagonist King Kulashekara in Rishab Shetty’s Kantara: Chapter 1, has taken a sharp dig at Bollywood filmmakers.
In a recent interview, Devaiah expressed frustration over the industry’s growing obsession with bearded, ultra-macho leading men, suggesting that many are imitating the iconic style popularized by Allu Arjun in the blockbuster Pushpa series. “I just have a problem with everybody having a beard. Why does everybody need to have a beard? Everybody is doing Pushpa only. What’s the problem with being clean-shaven? It’s just a trend. So is ultra-machismo. It can be incredibly fun, but I’ve gotten tired of it after a point. Why is every leading man ultra-macho? I think that’s why Rishab cast me in Kantara, because I wouldn’t approach it by just staring and not blinking at all,” he told Screen, when asked if the lines between heroes and villains have blurred, citing examples of Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh’s characters in ‘Animal’ and ‘Dhurandhar’.
He added, “I would have a different way of still hitting those marks that are needed from the story’s perspective. Also, since people really love Atmaram (Guns & Gulaabs, 2023), I have to keep reminding them that he’s not a nice guy. He may be cool and fun, but one shouldn’t get carried away and forget that these are extremely flawed characters. He’s considering killing children. Come on, who does that? That never burdened me, but later I realised he’s not a nice guy at all.”
Gulshan played King Kulashekara in Rishab Shetty’s ‘Kantara Chapter 1’, which turned out to be a major box-office success and became the second-highest-grossing Indian film of 2025 by collecting ₹851 crore worldwide.
The actor was most recently seen in the show ‘Perfect Family’, which also stars Manoj Pahwa, Girija Oak and Neha Dhupia.
The series is now available on YouTube.
