Bollywood actor Gulshan Devaiah, who is currently busy with Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota (MKDNH), has spilled the beans on why he rejected the offer of an important role in Kangana Ranaut's Manikarnika.
Gulshan Devaiah, a NIFT graduate, worked in the fashion and theatre industry before he moved to Mumbai for bigger opportunities in Bollywood. He went on to prove his versatility as an actor with his impeccable roles in Ram Leela, Hunter and digital show Smoke. He will be next seen in another new role that he has never done before.
Gulshan Devaiah is essaying the role of Karate Mani in Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota, which was offered to him at a time when he was recovering from a knee reconstructive surgery. The doctors advised him to take rest at least for a year, but the offer was so lucrative for him as an actor that he couldn't say no to his director Vasan Bala.
The role in Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota required Gulshan Devaiah to push the envelope at a stage where he was supposed to rest for his physical well-being. The immense faith and trust of the team led him to sign the film.
Immediately after signing it, he was approached for a key role in Rani Laxmibai biopic Manikarnika. He was certain that the film will turn out to be a milestone owing to the grandeur of the story.
But Gulshan Devaiah landed up declining Manikarnika due to a variety of reasons. Given that he was required to adapt to a whole new lifestyle and learn multiple fitness techniques.
The film required him to learn more physical activities like sword fighting. Since he was still recuperating from a surgery, he wasn't sure of Manikarnika. Owing to the time restrictions too, he had to turn down the film.
Gulshan Devaiah said, "Manikarnika was offered to me and the filmmakers really wanted me to do the role. It seemed physically demanding role as well because there was horse riding and sword fighting lessons I had to take. The real reason why I turned down Manikarnika is more than one. I really prefer doing one project at a time, regardless of how big or small it is."
Gulshan Devaiah added, "I feel that I am able to give my 100 per cent of all my time to that project be it a short film or a big budget commercial enterprise it doesn't matter. This is my preferred method I am not be able to do it all the time and that's what I prefer because I already agreed to be part of Mard ko Dard Nahi Hota. And secondly, it would have been extremely physically difficult for me to cope up with two roles which needed me to do a variety of physical training and execution on screen."