Last Updated:January 08, 2026, 08:43 IST

Gulshan Devaiah quit a film over pay and mistreatment, critiques macho trends, and stars in Toxic with Yash, Kiara Advani, Huma Qureshi, and Tara Sutaria, releasing March 19, 2026.

Gulshan will next star opposite Samantha Ruth Prabhu in Maa Inti Bangaram. (Photo Credit: X)

Gulshan Devaiah has opened up about quitting a film midway. In a recent interview, the actor claimed that he walked out of a project because of several factors. He claimed that he was not being paid well for the movie and also accused the makers of misbehaving with his manager.

In a chat with SCREEN, he said, “There are times when you feel on the first day of shoot itself, but I’ve followed through. I quit a film once because they didn’t pay me and behaved very badly with my manager. So, I checked the lapse date in my contract and realized they can’t sue me.”

When asked about the rise of morally ambiguous protagonists and the current obsession with ultra-macho looks, Gulshan Devaiah said he feels the line between heroes and villains has definitely blurred, citing how even leading men are now playing deeply flawed characters. He admitted he’s personally tired of the “everyone has a beard, everyone is doing Pushpa” phase, calling it a trend rather than a necessity.

“I just have a problem with everybody having a beard. Why does everybody need to have a beard? Everybody is doing Pushpa only. What’s the problem with clean-shaven? It’s just a trend. So is ultra machoism. It can be incredibly fun, but I’ve gotten tired after a point. Why is every leading man an ultra macho? I think that’s why Rishab cast me in Kantara because I wouldn’t approach it like just staring and not blinking at all. I would have a different way of still hitting those marks that are needed from the story perspective. Also, since people really love Atmaram (in Guns & Gulaabs, 2023), I have to keep reminding them that he’s not a nice guy. He may be cool and fun, but one should not get carried away and forget they’re extremely flawed characters. He’s considering killing children. Come on, who does that? That never burdened me, but later I realized he’s not a nice guy at all.”

Gulshan will be next seen in Samantha Ruth Prabhu’s next film, Maa Inti Bangaram. The star unveiled the project’s striking first look and confirmed the date for the trailer release recently. The announcement has reignited excitement for the actress’s highly anticipated return to Telugu films.

Taking to her Instagram handle, Samantha Ruth Prabhu shared the first look, which immediately went viral. The actress is seen in a fierce look, wearing a saree and standing in a bus. Along with the first look, she also announced the trailer release date. “మీరు చూస్తా ఉండండి…#MaaIntiBangaaram మీ అందరీతో కలిసిపోతుంది #MiBTeaserTrailer out on 9th JAN at 10 AM Created by #RajNidimoru Directed by @nandureddyy Produced by @tralalamovingpictures,” read the caption. Fans also reacted with heart emojis.