The growing success of the Ranveer-Deepika starrer Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela despite a lot of controversies has surely left its actors thrilled. Rejoicing the victory, Gulshan Devaiah, the bad guy in this Indian adaptation of Romeo-Juliet says, “It’s really overwhelming to see this kind of response. People send me messages on Twitter and Facebook. Like the other day when I went to the gym, people there were like ‘Hey you were really cool man.’ The feeling is so complicated… it’s as big as a Tsunami. Kya kahein, yeh sab Ram ki Leela hai.”

Starting his career with unconventional films like Shaitaan and Hate Story, Gulshan Devaiah breaks the trend with a commercial film like Goliyon ki Rasleela Ram-Leela where he plays the notorious villain. Playing the menacing Bhavani reveals yet another grey shade of Gulshan, just like his previous hits. Is that a mere coincidence? “I like to do things that are slightly out of the box or teda. I want to try and take up roles which are unlike me. Mostly the understanding is that there is a hero who is always shining and there is a villain but there is nothing in between. We all are imperfect. The difference is some people have darker shades of grey and vice versa. In this film, Bhavani’s negativity is highlighted. And as I said before, I like exploring the different phases of human psychology which happen only in such roles.”

The actor who cannot stop gushing about the success of his latest release revealed that if not for his friends and family, he would have never agreed for the film. “I found it really difficult to say a ‘yes’ to Bhavani. It was my manager Shobha Sant and my wife Kalliroi who convinced me to take up this offer.” But his obstacles increased after he joined hands with the Ram Leela team. This urban lad turning into a Gujju gaon ka chora was no cakewalk. “Learning the flavor and accent of Gujarati was a little difficult. I went for a workshop with Homi Wadia (who plays Ranveer’s father) for a couple of days. And of course learnt a lot from Supriya Pathak! Being around her really helped me understand the rhythm of Gujarati since she is so experienced. Also, I spoke in a flatter voice to give the villainous feel which helped me get the pronunciations better.”

Now with a success like that, Gulshan is bound to be flooded with offers and a few may even involve him playing the role of a hero. But the actor says that he doesn’t want to be unrealistic and would always choose to remain unconventional even in mainstream cinema. “To be honest I would love to be a hero but is it practical to do it? No. I cannot dance like Hrithik nor fight like Shahid. I love watching their films. I loved Ranveer’s role in my film but I cannot do it because it won’t suit me. I don’t want to confuse the audience because it’s foolish of me to compete with these people who are well versed in it. I want to make my own niche.”

But that doesn’t mean Gulshan is restrictive about his roles. Moving away from his forte and exploring genres has always been one of his dreams and his future projects reflect just that. “I have completed a comedy film recently with Radhika Apte titled Hunterr directed by Harshvardhan Kulkarni which is a slice of life kind of film. And I am also going to start shooting for a thriller called Cabaret to be produced by Pooja Bhatt. Here, I’ll play a role with lighter shades of grey, but surely not a villain.”

Very few people are aware of the fact that Gulshan Devaiah has had a connection with the world of acting before as a theatre artist. But cinema for him is passion. The actor is in love with every aspect of filmmaking. Ask him if theatre has taken a back seat and he immediately agrees to it. “I love cinema. I love the process of filmmaking. I just love being on the set. I have taken a temporary retirement from theatre. And I would like to go back to it only when I get the urge to do it again. Jab woh andhar ki awaaz kahegi ki to go back to the stage.”

Article written by staff at Bollywood Hungama.

source: http://www.oyetimes.com / Oye! Times / Home> Cinema> Oye Masala / by Kiran Arora / Wednesday – November 27th, 2013

Sandalwood actress Harshika Poonacha might have two releases on the same day. The actress starrer two movies B3 with Srikanth and Adwaitha which has Ajai Rao in the lead, is likely to release on December 6.

An excited Harshika on her micro-blogging website page has tweeted, “Dec 4th is dad’s birthday n Dec 6th is gonna be my most expected n special day My two Bigg releases might happen on the same day B3 Adwaitha.” And it is not the first time the actress is having two releases, she has further tweeted, “Y do my movies clash?? I remember Jugaari n Sugreeva released on d same day, now it’s time fr B3 & Adwaitha,guys pls watch both n support me.”

B-3, which is said to be a love story directed by Gana Shyam and Adwaitha is an action-based movie, Ajai Rao is playing the role of a writer. The movie is directed by MB Giriraj.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Regional> Kannada> Srikanth / Vinay Lokesh, TNN / November 27th, 2013

Bangalore sure loves its share of evenings dedicated to literature and the arts. No wonder then, that even a heavy down pour in the city couldn’t stop literary enthusiasts from making it to a city hotel where author Kaveri Ponappa launched her book, The Vanishing Kodavas.

The ITC Windsor played host to guests like Girish Karnad, Jaya Zaveri, Mohandas Pai and Sadiqa Peerbhoy among others. After an engaging reading from the book, guests took the discussions further even as they enjoyed their drinks and canapes.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Entertainment> Regional> Kannada> Girish Karnad / TNN / November 27th, 2013

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Goliyon Ki Raasleela: Ram-leela has surprised everyone, the movie is a resounding hit and the looking at the box office collections of the opening week, the movie has worked its magic on the audiences. The entire star casts were spot on with their performance, even the talented Sanjal Leela Bhansali was impressed by Gulshan Devaiah’s performance.

Gulshan Devaiah who essays the character of Bhavani, is also the chief antagonist of the film. Gulshan is also the surprise element of the film. The actor not only impressed the audiences and fans, but the talented actor also impressed the director. Sources close to Bhansali said, “The director is very pleased to have cast Gulshan for the character Bhavani, and the actor has impressed the director immensely.” The source further added, “Bhansali was also seen telling his friends about how well and subtly Gulshan has essayed the role of Bhavani and how he is one of the surprise packages of the film.”

Ever since the movie has released Gulshan has been receiving praises for his performance. Gulshan will be seen in an all new avatar in Phantom’s next “Hunter”, the actor has also signed a two movie deal with Pooja Bhatt. After such a performance the actor has a great year ahead.

source: http://www.bollyspice.com / Bolly Spice / Home / by Press Release / November 23rd, 2013

by: Nirmala Ravindran

He was one of the few guys in Bangalore that could carry off a pair of pink shoes with panache. National Institute of Fashion Technology graduate turned theatre actor, Gulshan Devaiah (Gullu to friends) was always gifted with an innate sense of style that his friends in the theatre circles relied on to help them shop for ‘cool’ clothes that didn’t cost the earth.

But that was four years ago. Today, he’s shooting the daylights out of people as the dangerous bad guy Bhavani, in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela wearing what looks like a prize-winning ensemble in fancy dress competition. Ask him if the edgy, hard hitting actor of films like Shaitan has made a smooth transition to the XL big budget film and he responds with, “The opus this time is in the super premium magnum league for sure. And it’s going to take a week for it to sink in, at least for a fringe guy like me.” As for being swathed in silk and satin, he’s not complaining. “Except those damn earrings that made me really miserable. They were too heavy and gave me headaches. I really loved the look that Maxima Basu designed for me. And I looked forward to dressing in those clothes, particularly the embroidered dhotis!”

His short but illustrious career graph has seen him winning accolades for films such as That Girl in Yellow Boots and Peddlers (both of which were screened at Cannes), Dum Maro Dum, Shaitan and Hate Story. Even when some of the films were panned, Devaiah managed to garner praise, award nominations and rave reviews for his performances. Not that he’s personally thrilled with any of his past performances. “I really aspire to be the best in my business, I’m not happy with being just good,” he says critically, with no touch of false modesty.

Devaiah has slowly but surely made his way from the edge of the fringe to land in the middle of mainstream Hollywood, first, with SLB’s film, and then with a two-film deal as main lead to be directed by Pooja Bhat. “I really made the best of what came my way, and one thing led to another and, then another. I firmly believe that the real challenge is making the right choices from what is offered to you,” he says.

Unlike Deepika Padukone (his co-star in Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram-Leela) who made her debut in a Kannada film, before moving to planet Bollywood, Gullu is yet to do a film down South. “It’s really never about the language, it’s only about good cinema for me. If the script and the project are right for me, I’ll definitely do it,” he says.

Kannada cinema reminds him of Bangalore, a city he misses. “I miss a lot of things, but mostly my parents, and some nice hot benne masala dosa.” Coming back to Padukone — also a Bangalore girl — he can’t help but admire her work ethic. “She’s a bonafide star and has made it on her own, like Sridevi and Madhuri in the past. She’s very professional and really easy to work with,” he adds of their time together with SLB’s film.

Even as things change around him on a daily basis, life remains largely unchanged for Devaiah who says he’s “really happy with Kallirroi, my beautiful loving companion (his wife, also an actor), a family of three cats, and commuting by rickshaws and taxis.” He adds, “There is a little bit of attention, but it’s totally manageable and yes, I would like my own home someday soon, but real estate is criminally expensive in Mumbai,” he sighs. Does he still have the pink shoes? “‘Well, there is some pink in my running shoes, so I guess…. the answer is yes, and no.”

source: http://www.bangaloremirror.com / Bangalore Mirror / Home> Columns> Sunday Read / Bangalore Mirror Bureau / by Nirmala Ravindran / November 24th, 2013

The panel comprised Malayalam poet, author and critic K. Satchidanandan, poet and writer Arundhathi Subramaniam, author Timeri N. Murari, surgeon and novelist Kavery Nambisan and writer and critic Geeta Doctor.

K. Satchidanandan is perhaps the most translated of contemporary Indian poets, having 23 collections of translation in 19 languages. He writes poetry in Malayalam and prose in Malayalam and English. His book While I Write: New and Selected Poems (Harper Collins) came out in 2011. He has lectured and read his poetry across the world. He was a professor of English, and later the chief executive of the Indian National Academy of Literature (Sahitya Akademi) and the Director of the School of Translation Studies, IGNOU, Delhi. He has won 27 literary awards including the Sahitya Akademi, Kerala Sahitya Akademi award (five times), Kusumagraj National Award, NTR National award, Bharateey Bhasha Parishad Award, Knighthood of the Order of Merit from the Government of Italy and India-Poland Friendship Medal from the Government of Poland.

Arundhathi Subramaniam is a poet and writer who has worked as curator, critic and poetry editor. As poet, she is the author of three books of poetry, most recently Where I Live: New and Selected Poems. As editor, her books include Another Country: An Anthology of Post-Independence Indian Poetry in English; an anthology on sacred journeys, Pilgrim’s India; and a co-edited anthology on contemporary love poems, Confronting Love. As prose writer, her books include the bestselling biography of a contemporary mystic, Sadhguru: More Than A Life and The Book of Buddha.

She is the recipient of the Raza Award for Poetry, the Homi Bhabha fellowship, the Charles Wallace Fellowship and the Visiting Arts Fellowship. She has been Editor of the India domain of the Poetry international Web for several years, as well as Head of Chauraha (an interactive arts forum) and Indian Dance at the NCPA, Bombay.

Timeri N. Murari was for many years a journalist writing for The Guardian, The Sunday Times and Observer in London before he moved to New York, where he made documentary films for British television. He has written 18 books of fiction and non-fiction. His bestselling Taj: A Story of Mughal India has been translated into 25 languages. He is also the writer and producer of The Square Circle one of Time’s “ten best films of the year” in 1997. He adapted it for the stage and directed it as the Leicester Haymarket theatre with Parminder Nagra in the lead role. In 2002, he was presented with the R.K.Narayanan Award for his his contributions to writing, cinema and theatre. Aleph will publish his new novel, Chanakya Returns, later this year.

Kavery Nambisan is a surgeon and novelist. She has spent most of her professional life in rural areas and her fiction is strongly coloured by this experience. Currently, she runs a rural hospital in Kodagu district in Karnataka. She has written six novels, all of which are published by Penguin India. Her last novel, The Story That Must Not Be Told, was shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize and the DSC South Asian Literary Prize. Her next novel, A Town Like Ours, will be published in April 2014 by Aleph Publications.

Geeta Doctor is a journalist and writer. She is also a noted reviewer of literature. She has written extensively on art and architecture; on food and travel; as well as children’s stories. She describes herself as a journalist whose commentaries on life, literature and society have always sought to be incisive and insightful. She received the Angarag lifetime achievement award 2008 for her contribution to journalism. She published a volume of poems in 2013 entitled What We Leave Behind. Geeta lives in Chennai.

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source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Books / Chennai – November 21st, 2013

Where often battles must be waged to ensure better life opportunities for women, in the world of glamour, the high heels seem to be winning. Male models in Bangalore must often contend with fewer assignments and lower pays.

Fashion guru Prasad Bidapa who has groomed many a model’s career says, the inequality in the industry is known and accepted. “It’s just the way the market works. Only 10 per cent of designers work on men’s clothing, the rest focus on women as their target clientele. It’s only natural that female models will be in greater demand,” he says.

Where estimates place the remuneration for top female models at ` 20 to 25,000 per fashion show, the figures hinge at ` 15 to 18,000 for their male counterparts.

“Efforts put in by male and female models may be the same, but there’s a lot more that female models have to do during a show, starting from the long make-up sessions. They have about five changes (of clothes) but men average one or two. It’s only logical then that they are paid more,” says Zoheb Yusuf who started modelling in 2003 and now heads Prasad Bidapa Model Management.

Yusuf’s standing advise to aspiring male models has been to always keep another profession going. “Modelling has to be a hobby. Of course, there are those who made it bigger going on from their modelling days like Arjun Rampal, Dino Morea and John Abraham. But if you want to make it big just as a model, then it requires moving to Mumbai or working through an agency that pushes you ahead to bigger assignments even abroad. Even then it’s best to have something else to back you up, ” he says.

Bangalore boasts of more than 50 top women models, some full-time, but nearly all 35 to 40 top male models are either students or working.

That’s not to say the industry is all unforgiving to men. “Male models have a lot of work to look forward to in television and print ad campaigns and for well-established models the pay is on par,” says Roshan Issac who has been modelling for ten years now and works as a techie at Bosch.

Things are changing. Bidapa points to designers like Sanchita who give equal importance to their menswear line. Isaac feels there’s a lot to explore as actors for male models. He says, “Chennai offers a lot of work in TV for male models, especially with the rising number of grooming products aimed at men, there’s increasing scope there. There are movies that one can graduate to, a place where we know that the (fee) scale instantly reverses.”

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Cities> Bangalore / by Aparna Chandra – Bangalore / October 15th, 2013