Gulshan Devaiah has built a reputation with vivid screen violence, but his next film is a family story about a curious boy who wants a younger brother. In an interview with Hindustan Times, he says the move was a conscious adjustment rather than a career master plan—and he is not convinced Hindi cinema has tilted as heavily toward hyper-masculine action as the box-office conversation suggests.
Why the violence wave may be an illusion
Devaiah points out that high-decibel entertainers naturally attract attention because they draw enormous crowds and generate very large collections. “It creates an illusion that the entire industry is shifting in one direction,” he said, “but that’s just an illusion.”
His reference points are older. In the 1970s and 1980s, Amitabh Bachchan’s angry young man was a mass draw while Amol Palekar’s average young man served the middle class. The two coexisted, and Devaiah argues that India’s socioeconomic diversity means different audience segments can support different kinds of cinema at the same time.
A film, he adds, does not need to earn ₹500 crore or ₹1,000 crore to be a success; the return on investment ratio matters more. He cites 12th Fail as a reminder: it became the most successful film of Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 35-year career without being a hyper-masculine spectacle.
Little Thomas as a counterpoint
Little Thomas, directed by Kaushal Oza, stars Devaiah with Rasika Dugal and Hridansh Parekh. It arrives in cinemas on October 23, offering a family-oriented alternative in a market crowded with action-heavy releases.
Devaiah frames his own move away from villain roles as fatigue, not strategy. “There was no master plan,” he says. He felt tired of negative parts and began making minor adjustments. When Little Thomas arrived, its sweetness and innocence connected with his own childhood.
He rejects the idea that choosing family films means retreating from commercial cinema. He wants his filmography to reflect his own taste as a moviegoer, which includes mindless entertainers and violent films when the mood strikes, as well as poignant, thought-provoking stories. The one genre he had avoided, horror, is next for him with Anarth.
The coexistence scorecard
Why the appearance of a one-direction shift persists comes down to visibility, in Devaiah’s telling:
- Spectacle is loudest: Mass entertainers dominate conversation because their business results are enormous.
- Counter-programming still works: Queen and Vicky Donor became hits without hyper-masculinity, and 12th Fail broke a career record.
- Breakouts can surprise: Devaiah says he did not even know Hanuman Ansh was in cinemas until it began making so much money.
His larger point is an old Bombay cinema reality: the biggest star-driven action film and the quiet middle-class drama were never mutually exclusive. The industry’s record is long enough to hold both.
Source: Hindustan Times
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