'I Didn't Make An Attempt To Play The Serial Killer...': Gulshan Devaiah On Playing 'Abhishek Banne' In 'Duranga'

In a conversation with ABP Live, Gulshan Devaiah shared about 'Duranga Season 2', spoke about the intensity of his character and also discussed how he manages such intense characters.

Gulshan Devaiah Talks About His Character 'Abhishek Banne' In 'Duranga'

Source : Instagram/ Gulshan Devaiah

After a lot of revelations and a mind-blogging ending to Season 1, 'Duranga Season 2' started streaming on Zee 5 from October 24. This edge-of-the-seat thriller casts Amit Sadh, Gulshan Devaiah and Drashti Dhami in the lead roles with Gulshan Devaiah playing the mysterious character of 'Abhishek Banne'. The movie is based on a series of serial killings that take place in Sarangwadi done by 'Bala Banne' which impacts the life of his family, eventually changing it completely. 

The show moves in a certain direction in Season 1 but ends with 'Sammit Patel' (played by Amit Sadh) waking up after 14 years in coma. Thus, Season 2 begins on an interesting note. 

In a conversation with ABP Live over a video call, Gulshan Devaiah shared about 'Duranga Season 2', spoke about the intensity of his character and also discussed how he manages such intense characters.

Talking about Season 2, Gulshan said, "Amit Sadh is here. He has woken up at the end of season 1 and since that has happened, he will do something really important that will affect the story going forward. It's a lot more emotional journey of the character that I play i.e Abhishek Banne and Ira (which is played by Drashti). It's a lot more emotional because at the close of season 1, our relationship has come under a lot of stress and there's a lot that's happened in my past that seems to be affecting my present and everything seems one way but actually it's something else."

"There is a lot of mystery, a lot of suscpicion and a lot of drama and all of this will unfold one at a time in Season 2 which is also going to be a very entertaining journey for the audience," he added.

Gulshan also shared about how he manages to play such intense characters without impacting him on his daily life and said, "I build them mostly in my imagination. I try to have as much fun creating these charactersas possible, and having a good strong pre-production before filming is always necessary. A lot of the ideas that we had, came together in pre-production so that you don't have to do too much experimentation while you are actually on set."

Playing a serial killer requires a lot of skill and at times it takes a toll on an actor. Talking about this, Devaiah said, "I didn't even make an attempt to play the serial killer at all, I just tried to play the dualities that were there that this guy seems a certain way but there is something about him that we are not seeing. That's the only thing that I did consistently, and less of it in Season 2 because a lot about the past of the character is revealed in season 1, so I didn't have to play so much of the dualities in Season 2."

Talking about whether he can snap out of his character quickly, Gulshan said, "I can snap out of my charcacter quickly. I have realised that acting should be a fun process for me and a lot of it happens through imagination, through repetition and through pre-production. If I am well prepared, I don't need to sort of stay in character all the time or sort of feel the ill-effects of the character."

"I play Abhishek who has had a very traumatic childhood, I have to build it only in my imagination. When I start to physicalise it, then it will start taking some part of me. Some people do believe that there is a price that you have to pay, I agree with that perspective, but it doesn't have to be a big price. You can save yourself from being traumatized by the character. So, I focus on the use of imagination and there is definitely an imaginary line that I will not cross. I will go to the edge of it, but not cross because I don't want my quality of life to be affected by one of my roles," he added.

Sharing how did he manage not to exaggerate his role, yet show the little intricacies, Gulshan said, "I show these little intricasies by consciously cutting back because its sometimes good to show a little less and let the audience imagine the rest of it. If you are able to do that- its the best way of doing something- 'The power of suggestion' as they say. You show just about enough for you to evoke a certain feeling and then you see the rest, your subconsious will piece it together. So, I think it's more efficient and it's also difficult to do that and I feel that if I can show less and make the audience feel, then they piece it together with their own theory,"

Devaiah also went on to share his experience working with Amit Sadh and said, "It was fun. It was very surprising also because he brings a lot of intensity and passion to his work. He has his own process which is quite intense and we didn't do any rehearsals together. So most of the time I didn't know what he was going to do, how he would interpret the character and many times I was surprised, and to be frank, many times I didn't understand what he was doing."

Talking about what made him say 'yes' to the character of 'Abhishek Banne', Gulshan said, "Because it was complex. I was really interested to see how I would do it. I made it a point not to see the original source material and have my own interpretation. So, I was curious to see how I would play such a character who seems a certain way but you also realise that there is something this person is hiding."

On being asked whether we can expect a season 3 or not, Gulshan very subtly said, "Let's just say, we don't know... why don't you find out."