Zilla Panchayat President B A Harish, Vice President Lokeshwari Gopal and CEO K Lakshmipriya take part in the general body meeting of Kodagu Zilla Panchayat in Madikeri on Wednesday. DH photo
Zilla Panchayat members on Wednesday alleged that the selection of students for the sports school at Ponnampet in Virajpet taluk has not been done in a transparent manner.
Following pandemonium in the general body meeting of the Zilla Panchayat on the issue, Zilla Panchayat president B A Harish intervened and said the selection process can be withheld if found it is not fair. However, it was resolved to review the selection list.
Earlier, JD(S) member C P Puttaraju demanded a probe into the selection process. Responding to his demand, Health and Education Standing Committee chairman N T Kiran Cariappa said that 165 students took part in the selection. Among them, 15 boys and four girls have been selected. The selection was done by experienced coaches. The students selected during the last year have won several medals, he said.
Pointing out that there were students from Somwarpet as well, he said, “The selection cannot be limited to a specific taluk. It depends on the calibre of the students”.
As soon as the meeting began, member Bananda Pratyu said that the farmers are in distress. The market rates of coffee and pepper have fallen. Therefore, the Zilla Panchayat should pass a resolution to propose to the government to completely waive the loans availed by farmers, Pratyu said.
When the Zilla Panchayat president insisted on sticking to the agenda of the meeting, Pratyu and K P Chandrakala protested in front of his seat. The impromptu protest led to an exchange of words between Congress and BJP members.
Pratyu alleged that the farmers do not get even one hour of power supply at Balele, Kutta, Ponnampet and surrounding regions.
Member Shivu Madappa urged the Zilla Panchayat to repair the faulty power line to provide free electricity up to 10 hp, to the farmers, as assured by the government.
CESC executive engineer Somashekhar said that the problem is due to overloading. The issue will be rectified soon. To the reply by the official, the members warned of staging a protest in front of the CESC office if the electric line is not repaired within three days.
The Zilla Panchayat president directed the official to repair the electric line soon.
To an issue raised by member Suneetha, DDPI P Machado said that special classes are being conducted for SSLC students. The students staying in the school at night are provided food. “Preparatory examinations are being conducted to ensure best results in the final examination”, he added.
Zilla Panchayat Vice President Lokeshwari Gopal and CEO K Lakshmi Priya were present.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Madikeri / February 19th, 2020
“I have come here to build Rangayana and further the cause of theatre, art and culture and not to hoist the flag of BJP or any other political and non-political organisations. Of course, the BJP Government has appointed me as the Rangayana Director. From the day I took charge, I have been tirelessly working with my teams and I will continue to strive for the welfare of Rangayana without any other agenda or ulterior motives.”
These were the words of Rangayana Director Addanda C. Cariappa who has successfully steered the 20th edition of ‘Bahuroopi’ organised by State’s premier theatre repertoire, Rangayana. The festival that began on a grand note on Feb. 14, hit crescendo on Feb. 15, 16, 17 and 18, to conclude on an even grander note last evening.
Addressing a press conference at Rangayana premises this morning, Cariappa said that he has been in the field for 40 years and he will go to any extent to fight for the cause of theatre and artistes. “I have not come here as a Director to build a fort around me and my thoughts. I have come here to continue the good work done by previous Directors and also to take Rangayana to newer heights,” he said.
“Bahuroopi, that earlier meant only for theatre groups, art lovers and intellectuals, now, is a festival of common man and people broke all barriers, shed inhibitions and openly participated in all the events and the packed audience at all the events is a proof for this,” he opined.
“I have worked after gaining the trust of everyone and I do not want to defame Kodagu. I am a Kodava and tomorrow no one should say that Rangayana’s image was spoilt by a Kodava. I have no hidden agenda and I have worked honestly, earning the trust of everyone,” he said.
Gandhi Patha and honest work
Cariappa said that when he took over as Rangayana Director, there were talks of holding this Bahuroopi in the name of Girish Karnad. “I told them that dedicating the festival to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary was a befitting tribute to the great soul. Everyone agreed and I coined the phrase ‘Gandhi Patha.’ It immediately struck a chord and everyone worked together as one team to ensure the success of the festival,” he revealed.
Gandhiji ubiquitous
Gandhiji was there everywhere, be it plays, seminars, venues, dance dramas, films, folk, cultural performances and even food and handicrafts. “This all-pervading and ubiquitous presence of Gandhiji was achieved with team work, support and participation. I did not differentiate between Left-leaning and Right-leaning thinkers. For me, all were equal. Before the festival began, I fell to the feet of many Gandhians in Mysuru and urged them to be a part of the festival. I visited Dalit Keris, congregations, temples and houses and pleaded them to participate. This paid off as there was overwhelming participation,” Cariappa said.
Atithi Devobhava
“Though there were attempts to disturb the festival and defame me initially, I extended open arms and invited them. I told them that my personal comments and Rangayana are separate, Kodavas are known to speak their heart out and I have done the same. I treated everyone equally with the principle of ‘Atithi Devobhava’ and the results are here,” he said.
Cariappa thanked all senior and junior artistes, repertoire groups, Bharatiya Ranga Shikshana Kendra, Mysuru Amateur Theatre Group, local artistes, staff of Rangayana and Kalamandira, Rangayana Joint Director V.N. Mallikarjunaswamy, Kannada and Culture Department Deputy Director H. Channappa, Canara Bank, donors and Government for providing finance and all those who worked tirelessly for Bahuroopi-2020 and its allied events.
“From the day I took over as Rangayana Director on Dec. 31, I began Bahuroopi work by conducting a series of meetings and by signing many files. I gave the push for the festival by forming various Committees and assigning responsibilities and together, we have achieved great success. From Jan. 1, every day I used to come to Rangayana at 6 am and be at work till 11 pm. I have not discriminated between any theatre groups and have earned the trust of all,” Cariappa added.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / February 20th, 2020
Codava National Council (CNC) President N.U. Nachappa, welcoming the Centre’s enthusiasm and commitment for the creation of Bodoland Territorial Region, has urged the Union Government to expedite the long-cherished aspirations of Kodava Land Geo-Political Autonomy under Articles 244, 371 (read with 6th & 8th Schedule of the Constitution) and also assign ST (Scheduled Tribe) tag to Kodava tribe.
Addressing a press meet at Pathrakarthara Bhavan here this morning, he said that the Union Government, on Jan. 27, succeeded in bringing the curtains down on more than three decades of “militia” activities in one of South Asia’s insurgency-hit region.
“First, the NDA Government in 2019 made its commitment of assigning greater Autonomy to the existing 10 Autonomous regions of North East. Now it has taken first step by entering into a pact with Bodoland people. On Jan. 27, a Tripartite Agreement was signed between the Government of India, the Government of Assam and the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) known as ‘The Comprehensive Bodo Settlement Agreement (TCBSA).’ According to this agreement, it gives greater Autonomy and more powers to the body, which will again be renamed as the Bodoland Territorial Region,” Nachappa said.
The five points of the Agreement include:
1. Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD) to be renamed as Bodoland Territorial Region. 2. Inclusion of villages having predominant Bodo population into the Council region. 3. Bodo language with Devanagari script to be an associate official language across Assam. 4. Assam Government to set up a Council for welfare of the Bodo-Kachari people living outside BTC. 5. Steps to ensure land rights of the Bodos. As per the accord, Bodos can directly avail monetary aid from World Bank and IMF, he said.
CNC’s five demands are as follows: 1. Kodava land Geo-Political Autonomy should be carved out under Articles 244 and 371. (For traditional and indivisible home land of Kodava tribal community, comprising 45 ancient traditional Kodava Naads, that is from Marenaad to Pathkattnaad, from Gadinaad to Anjigerinaad, from Bengnaad to Kadiyathnaad, from Ballathnaad to Bottiyathnaad, from Noorokkanaad to Poramalenaad, from Muthnaad to Kuthnaad, from Badigerinaad to Paakerinaad, from Surlabbi Naad to Kurchinaad, Thodanaad to Ummathnaad, from Berali Naad to Bepp Naad, Kangalath Naad to Baira Naad, Thavu Naad to Botoli Naad, Perava Naad to Poo Naad, Kirnal Naad to Edenal Naad, Paadi Naad to Kuiangeri Naad, Madikeri Naad to Aarkeri Naad, Noorambada Naad to Kaggod Naad, Nelliya Pudikeri to Kanthamoo Naad, Nelji Naad to Aarayiranaad, Mudigerinaad to Paleri Naad etc.).
2. Indigenous Non-Schedule vulnerable, diminishing Kodava tribe should be included in the ST list under Articles 340 & 342 of the Constitution.
3. Minuscule micro minority dwindling Kodava tribe and their cultural heritage should be included in the Intangible Cultural heritage list of UNESCO.
4. Ancient, rich and living spoken language of the Kodava region and also the mother-tongue of aboriginal Indigenous Kodava tribe ‘Kodava Thak’ should be incorporated in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution.
5. Kodava gun rights should be continued without any time restriction. Kodava tribal folk are exempted under Section 3 and 4 of Indian Arms Act and can possess and carry gun at all times, since weapon is considered by Kodava tribal folk as revered sacrament. Because of their dwindling population and vulnerability there is an existential threat for them and their identity. Hence these minuscule micro minority diminishing ethnic tribe should be protected Constitutionally, the CNC President said.
Continuing he said, for the time being, let them be classified as ST under the Constitution because there is no other classification under the Constitution of India. However, in the long run we Kodavas would like to be classified as a Special Warrior Tribe, he added.
CNC’s demand and claim for Geo-Political Autonomy is most legitimate, logical, feasible and deserving in all sense among any other demands, he opined.
Considering the veracity of the legitimate demands put forth by Codava National Council before the Constitution Review Commission of India headed by Justice M.N. Venkatachalaiah comprising an 11-member stalwarts who are experts in various fields like Constitutional experts, Jurists, Civil servants, Law-makers, Diplomats, bureaucrats and Eminent Journalists have recommended for the creation of Coorg Autonomous Development Council under Article 371 of our Constitution, he said.
Renowned Economist and Rajya Sabha MP Dr. Subramanian Swamy too has taken cognisance of the subject and he is working towards it, Nachappa added.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / February 17th, 2020
Rashmika Mandanna who tasted biggest hit of her career with Sarileru Neekevvaru this year will next be seen opposite Nithin in Bheeshma hitting the screens in five days.
Rashmika assures that Bheeshma is thoroughly entertaining. “You can expect lots of fun in the film. When I was dubbing, I had great time. This film is going to be super fun.”
About the judgement factor, the actress reveals, “Firstly, script should excite me. I strongly believe that, audience needs to have fun or get emotional while watching a film.”
Rashmika’s character name in the film is Chaithra and she works at Bheeshma organic company. Then, who’s Bheeshma in the film. “Anant Nag is Bheeshma. Nithin is also Bheeshma. But, I can’t divulge much on this now.”
Recently, IT raids were conducted on Rashmika’s house. She, however, clarifies saying the officials found nothing. “My father is a businessman. We have coffee estates in Coorg. When IT officials conducted raids, they found nothing.”
Rashmika also informs that she will be seen in a completely new avatar in Allu Arjun and Sukumar’s film that will start rolling from next month.
source: http://www.gulte.com / Gulte.com / Home> Movie News / February 16th, 2020
Joshna Chinappa and Saurav Ghosal, the country’s squash aces, reigned supreme in the 77th Senior National Championship at the ISA courts, claiming their 18th and 13th titles respectively.
Chinappa, the torch-bearer for Indian women’s squash for close to two decades now, showed why she was the one to beat as she put paid to the aspirations of Tanvi Khanna, (seeded 3/4) in four games to add yet another national title to her kitty.
The top-seeded Chennai player recovered brilliantly after losing the first game to post a 8-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-7 win to underline her superiority in the finals on Saturday.
Chinappa had broken the record of 16 national titles held by Bhuvneshwari Kumari by winning in Pune last year.
She won her first national crown in 2000 and has since lost only two matches, both finals.
In the men’s final, Ghosal showed why he is still the man to beat, with a crushing 11-6, 11-5, 11-6 defeat of young Abhishek Pradhan (No. 2 seed) to win the title yet again.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Sports / February 17th, 2020
Educational institutions were first started in Kodagu after the British takeover in 1834. People took to education most enthusiastically. In 1909, St. Joseph’s Convent was founded by Catholic nuns in Madikeri. It was primarily for girls, but boys were allowed till 7th standard. I recently came across a remarkable group photograph taken in 1911, of the students at the time, along with the European nuns who ran the school. The school catered to both boarders and day-scholars.
This school offered better quality education to children of those locals who aspired to see their chldren well prepared to take advantage of lucrative jobs and career opportunities under the colonial dispensation. This school saw generations of students, especially women, pursue higher education and excel at a time when women were not much involved outside the traditional family responsibilities.
One family in this frame, frozen in time, has members who went on to become famous during the 1930s to 1950s. They are the seven daughters and one son of the first lawyer from Kodagu — Codanda D. Poovaiah. After school, six of his daughters pursued higher education outside Kodagu. The sisters excelled in various fields and soon came to be known as the ‘Poovaiah Sisters of Coorg.’ One of them, Rohini, was the first lady from Kodagu to acquire a degree. She later became the Principal of Crosswaithe College, a well-known institution in Allahabad. She was familiar with the Nehru family and had a brief role in the education of a young Indira Gandhi. She was awarded the Padma Shri in 1973. Another sister, Ashlesha, was one of the first lady doctors from Kodagu. Yet another sister, Swati, did her Nursing degree and later went on a scholarship to Columbia University in 1948 for further studies.
Three of the Poovaiah sisters with their dance guru Jailal. / Picture right shows Chonira B Muthamma, first lady IFS Officer.
The three younger sisters — Sita, Chitra and Lata — became renowned Kathak dancers and were much sought-after not only for their performances all over India, but also to direct dances in Hindi movies. All sisters took part in the freedom movement. Chitra and Lata defied prohibitory orders during the ‘Quit India’ movement. They were jailed for 2 weeks. Sita went on to earn a Ph.D in Arts from Bombay University and became the first Kodava lady to get a Doctorate degree. My father, C.M. Poonacha, was a freedom fighter and knew the family well. I had the privilege of being invited to their home on Malabar Hill in Bombay in 1968. Except for Ashlesha, all the sisters were spinsters.
On a personal note, my wife’s grandmother is one of the little girls sitting in the front row. She later married Pemmanda K. Monnappa who had the unique distinction of being the Inspector General of Police (IGP) in three Southern States. He was the Police Chief who headed the Government action in quelling the Razakars revolt in Hyderabad. He was the first IGP (equivalent to DGP now), of the newly formed Karnataka State in 1956.
My sister’s future father-in-law is one of the little boys sitting in the front row. Interestingly, his future mother-in-law is also in the same frame! This iconic, over a century-old photograph, has many stories to tell.
Over the years several girls who had their early education in this school went on the achieve in various fields. Konganda Accamma, who passed out of this school in the 1920s, joined Lady Hardinge Medical College in New Delhi. She was one of the first Kodava women to earn a MBBS degree. She headed the Vanivilas Women and Children’s Hospital for several years.
One of the most distinguished alumna of this school is C.B. Muthamma, who was the first woman to qualify for the Indian Foreign Service in 1949. She also has the distinction of being the first lady Ambassador from the IFS cadre. Muthamma had to face gender discrimination while in service. She fought against the Government and went to the Supreme Court in 1979. The Apex Court passed a judgement in her favour which paved the way for other women civil servants from being discriminated against. She authored a book titled ‘Slain by the System’ in 2003. Muthamma’s classmate was Jajie Mandanna, who was an MLC and a well-known consumer activist. I am told they fiercely fought for the top rank in their class!
St. Joseph’s is now a co-ed school and continues to provide quality education.
___________________
About the author:
C. P. Belliappa, born in 1946, is a Chemical Engineer. He is currently settled in Coorg. He is known for his writings on issues pertaining to Coorg. Four of his books — Tale of A Tiger’s Tail & other Yarns from Coorg, Nuggets from Coorg History, Victoria Gowramma: The Lost Princess of Coorg, and Tongue of the Slip, have been published by Rupa Publications. He currently serves as President, Coorg Institute of Technology, Ponnampet, South Kodagu.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / February 16th, 2020
Indian tennis ace Rohan Bopanna says he is looking forward to the Olympics this year and has devised his schedule this year based on the Tokyo Games. Speaking to the Olympic Channel, 39 year old Bopanna says, “It’s another exciting season (with the Olympics involved).
It’s a great honour to represent India at an event as big as the Olympics. I am happy to get the title in Doha at the start of the year. But having said that, we have a lot of big events like not only the Grand Slams but also the Masters Series before going into the Olympics.
But I am happy and I am looking forward to it.” Bopanna continues, “I think the calendar is already planned in such a way that it’s between two Grand Slams (Wimbledon and US Open). And you know, in tennis, we have so many big events scheduled in our season that we constantly are playing the best players in the world.
So that really helps in making you a better player and make you ready for a big event like the 2020 Olympics.” The qualification for the Olympics will be based on the rankings of Bopanna and Divij Sharan. The two are playing with different partners currently in order to improve their ranking and hope to pair up closer to the Games once their rankings are high enough to enter the ATP tournaments.
“At this juncture, Divij and I are the only two players who are high enough (on the ATP Rankings) to try and qualify for the Olympics. We played a few events (as a pair) last year and we did end up winning the title in Pune.
Really excited to be playing with him. We had the gold medal at the Asian Games. I think we gel well as a team.”
source: http://www.tennisworldusa.org / Tennis World / Home> Tennis News> Indian Tennis / by Harish / February 16th, 2020
The annual fruit and flower show which began at Raja Seat in Madikeri on Friday has been attracting tourists and nature lovers in large numbers.
The traditional ‘Ainmane’ house made out of flowers, is the main attraction in the fruit and flower show in Raja Seat, Madikeri.
Artifacts featuring Virat Kohli, Wing Commander Abhinandan, Kuvempu, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Narendra Modi, B S Yediyurappa, A P J Abdul Kalam, Mahatma Gandhi, Siddaganga seer, Dr B R Ambedkar, Field Marshal K M Cariappa, General Thimmaiah and Pejavara seer— all carved out of watermelons, mesmerise visitors, at the entrance of Raja Seat.
6,000 flower pots
A total of 6,000 flower pots have been arranged in the park. Flowers exhibiting a wide spectrum of colours and species, arranged in artistic patterns, have been providing a visual treat.
Raja Seat, which had lost its sheen owing to lack of flower-bearing plants, is now wearing a refreshed look.
The main attraction, however, is the traditional ‘Ainmane’ (house), designed with lakhs of flowers. A lot of visitors were seen taking selfies in front of the Ainmane.
Rocket
The heart made out of roses, rocket launching station of ISRO, coffee pot and the cup, Mickey Mouse, Swami Vivekananda and other artefacts made out of flowers are making the people spellbound.
Cultural programmes will be held in the evenings, as a part of the fruit and the flower show. Food festival is being held in Gandhi Maidan. People have been relishing their taste buds with sugarcane juice from Mandya and other delicacies. Stalls have been put up by the Horticulture Department and private nurseries, featuring the sale of various flower-bearing plants.
MLA’s praise
Speaking after inaugurating the fruit and flower show, Madikeri MLA Appachu Ranjan called upon the people to come to Raja Seat in large numbers to see the show.
The show is being organised by the Department of Horticulture at a cost of Rs 20 lakh. Cultural programmes are being organised by the Department of Kannada and Culture and Karnataka Kodava Sahitya Academy, he said.
Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy said it has been a tradition to organise fruit and flower show in the month of January or February every year. The show will be on till Monday.MLC Veena Acchaiah, MLC Sunil Subramani, Kodagu Zilla Panchayat President B A Harish, Vice President Lokeshwari Gopal, Hopcoms President Biddatanda Ramesh Changappa and Horticulture department Deputy Director Chandrashekhar were present.
source: http://www.deccanherald.com / Deccan Herald / Home> State> Mangaluru / by DHNS, Madikeri / February 07th, 2020
Sree Cauvery Educational Institutions, Kuvempunagar, conducted a one-day University-level workshop on “Business Research Methodology” at the College auditorium in city recently.
University of Mysore (UoM) Registrar (Evaluation) Prof. K. Mahadevan inaugurated the workshop. UoM Commerce Faculty Dr. K. Nagendra Babu was the guest of honour. Institutions Chairman M.K.Kuttappa presided.
The workshop was conducted in three sessions. First session was handled by Dr. R. Jagadeesh, Professor and Head, Department of Studies in Business Administration (MBA), SBRR Mahajana First Grade College (PG Wing), Mysuru; 2nd session by Dr. B. Mahadevappa, Professor of Commerce, Post Graduate Centre, Hemagangothri, UoM and 3rd session by Dr. S.J. Manjunath, Faculty, B.N. Bahadur Institute of Management Sciences, UoM.
The workshop had 300 participants including academicians, research scholars, PG and UG students.
Institution Hon. Treasurer M.B. Aiyappa, Vice-Chairman M.M. Ponnappa, Special Advisor Prof. K.C. Belliappa, Kodava Samaja President K.M. Belliappa and Cauvery First Grade College Principal K.M. Padvamavathi were present.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> News / February 03rd, 2020
First off is the Amazon Prime Video series ‘Afsos’, in which he plays a suicidal writer who is simply unable to die.
Gulshan Devaiah
Gulshan Devaiah moved to Mumbai from Bangalore more than a decade ago to become a “good leading man who’s also a good actor, or even a great and legendary leading man, who’s a great and legendary actor”. Will he get there, as he hopes?
Devaiah’s latest effort is Amazon Prime Video’s series Afsos, which is out on February 7. Written by Dibya Chatterjee and Anirban Dasgupta, Afsos follows Devaiah’s Nakul, a clinically depressed writer who hires an assassin (Heeba Shah) to kill him after 11 failed suicide attempts. Things go awry when Nakul wants to abort the mission after developing feelings for his therapist (Anjali Patil).
“Sometimes, you suffer more in your imagination than reality,” the 41-year-old actor said about Nakul. The insecure, middle-class writer is similar to his sexually obsessed character Mandar Ponkshe in Harshvardhan Kulkarni’s Hunterrr (2015). Both are what he calls the “average Ramu”. Devaiah added, “What made Mandar special was him sleeping around to feel good about himself. What makes Nakul special are the circumstances he gets into for his glum outlook on life.”
Afsos (2020).
Devaiah is coming straight off from praise for his role of a village strongman-turned-alpha zombie in Dibakar Banerjee’s installment in Netflix’s anthology horror film Ghost Stories. Despite being in the movies since 2011, the 10-minute role, of which nine minutes are spent under unrecognisable make-up, has earned him some of the best reviews of his career. Devaiah had no expectations from the film and wasn’t sure he would be recognised at all, but he now wonders why the role has drawn so much attention.
“Perhaps, though everything seems very sudden, what I had been doing for so many years created a positive impression in people’s minds, so the effect was cumulative,” he said. “I would keep getting messages from my audience, that I am underrated and underutilised. Perhaps, with Ghost Stories, people thought I have got what I deserve.”
Off the top of his head, Devaiah remembers Karan Johar and Reema Kagti praising him for his ghoulish act. At least one of those handshakes materialised in a role: Devaiah is playing a policeman in Kagti’s Rajasthan-set web series Fallen, alongside Sohum Shah and Sonakshi Sinha.
Gulshan Devaiah in Ghost Stories (2020). Courtesy Netflix.
Devaiah’s career began with morally grey or outright negative roles in low-to-mid-budget productions such as That Girl in Yellow Boots (2011), Dum Maaro Dum (2011), Shaitan (2011), and Hate Story (2012). He played similar roles in commercial projects such as Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013) and Commando 3 (2019).
In between, he played diverse characters, including the double role of a don and a martial arts teacher in Vasan Bala’s Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota (2018) and a serial womaniser in Hunterrr, a role that his fans still keep talking about.
Despite leading-man ambitions and an impressive resume, he didn’t quite hit the sweet star-actor spot. Devaiah attributes this to being clueless about converting the attention he received “between 2011 and 2013” to “hustle”.
“The only thing I knew to do was good work,” Devaiah said. “The others after me were better at hustling like Ayushmann Khurrana, Vicky Kaushal, Rajkummar Rao. I am learning from them.”
Is being good not good enough? “Idealism has its place but you also have to be practical,” Devaiah explained. “I don’t want to be dragged down thinking I am so good and hardworking but I didn’t get the chances I deserve. I see disappointment and disillusionment in veteran actors who’ve been around for 30-40 years. I constantly think about what am I not doing, where am I missing out. Sometimes, in an interview, I might have the right answers, but not the right attitude. That might be enough for someone to not choose me for a role. I keep these things in mind.”
Gulshan Devaiah as Jimmy and Karate Mani in Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota (2019).
Unlike his Afsos character, Devaiah is neither overtly bogged down by missed opportunities nor is he chasing big-banner productions. Most of his films have been made on limited budgets.
“Small banner, big banner is secondary for me,” Devaiah said. “My goal in life is to do roles through which I can challenge myself, surprise audiences. I don’t look for validation from a big director or big production house. The legacy I want to leave behind is of me being a versatile actor. Hunterrr or Mard were not big banner projects. But the connection I made with the audience with those roles is what I aim for.”
Some of Devaiah’s projects have either not been released or have gone straight to streaming platforms, which are not the best places for small movies to find audiences. There’s still no release date for Bala’s eight-year-old Peddlers. Kanishk Varma’s Hindi-Marathi bilingual thriller Daav/Haadsa, which stars Devaiah as a policeman, remains in the cans. The much-delayed Cabaret went straight to Zee5, while CandyFlip was released on Netflix.
But he cannot pick films based on the ability or willingness of their makers to release them, Devaiah said. He cited the example of Tarun Mansukhani’s Drive. “Did anyone expect a Dharma film to go straight to OTT?” he said. “Shit happens man, I can’t worry about it. I can’t even put it in my contract that the film must be released. I can only tackle things I have control of, like my film choices or performances.”
Gulshan Devaiah in Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013). Courtesy Bhansali Productions/Eros International.
Besides Fallen, Devaiah has nothing on his plate that he can talk about except a thriller Hinterland, announced long ago but yet to be shot. The film, also starring Manoj Bajpayee, “is about a man chasing another man, and how the system is rigged in a way that a conflict between two parties helps a third party”, he said.
Devaiah prefers to work on one project at a time. “Be it a three-day shoot or a 300-day shoot, if I can, I only eat, sleep, think one thing at a time,” he said. “I would say my work ethic of putting 100% attention to something is my biggest strength.”
Many acclaimed roles, a few commercial successes, and yet his best role didn’t even make a blip on the radar. “Hunterrr is the only brand value I have actually,” he said. “People were attracted to the nostalgia of the film. Everyone had one friend, brother, or cousin, who was like Mandar. Everyone, post-puberty, tried the sort of things Mandar did in the film. I definitely related to the things happening in his life, if not him exactly. Many women told me that they also related to the events in the film.”
Chori Chori, Hunterrr (2015).
source: http://www.scroll.in / Scroll.in / Home> The Reel> On the Actor’s Trail / by Devarshi Ghosh / February 05th, 2020
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