Gulshan Devaiah says people should ‘move on’ from Ranveer Singh’s Kantara controversy: ‘We all make mistakes’

Kantara actor Gulshan Devaiah recently opened up about the controversy of Ranveer Singh's mimicry of Rishab Shetty's Daiva scene from the film.

Gulshan Devaiah reacts to Ranveer Singh's Kantara controversy

Ranveer Singh has been making headlines for his latest hit Dhurandhar, directed by Aditya Dhar. However, a week before the film’s release, the actor’s mimicry of Rishab Shetty’s Daiva in Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1 at a public event led to widespread outrage. Now, Gulshan Devaiah, who played the role of King Kulashekhara in Kantara, has reacted to the controversy, calling it Ranveer’s ‘mistake’. The actor also opened up about his experience of working with the Kannada star in Kantara.

What Gulshan Devaiah said about Kantara controversy

During a recent interview with NDTV, Gulshan weighed in on the backlash Ranveer Singh faced after his mimicry and said, “My personal views are not popular views. I really don’t get affected by such things so much. But if somebody feels disrespected or something, I understand. Ranveer apologised as well. Let’s take it with that. I don’t know what his intent was – only he knows. We all make mistakes when we get excited, and that scene in the film was so integral and really affected us. It was very ‘romanchak‘.”

He continued, “I think it is part of certain people’s identity – those who belong to the Tulu community and live in that land. It’s part of their identity. They feel it is disrespectful to their culture, and that’s fine. From their perspective, it is correct. These things don’t affect me that much. But at the same time, since he apologised, we should just accept it and move on.”

ALSO READ | Rishab Shetty avoids naming Ranveer Singh as he says mimicry of Daivas makes him ‘uncomfortable’: ‘It’s sensitive, sacred’

Ranveer Singh’s Kantara comments

At the closing ceremony of IFFI (International Film Festival of India), Ranveer’s video of referring to Chamundi daiva as a female ghost and then mimicking the character on stage, went viral. The actor drew a lot of flak for his imitation. After the incident, he even issued an official apology and wrote a long note on social media.

“My intention was to highlight Rishab’s incredible performance in the film. Actor to actor, I know how much it takes to perform that particular scene the way he did, for which he has my utmost admiration. I have always deeply respected every culture, tradition, and belief in our country. If I’ve hurt anyone’s sentiments, I sincerely apologise,” he wrote in the post.

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On the work front, Gulshan Devaiah has a few projects in the pipeline, including Legacy with R Madhavan and Maa Inti Bangaram alongside Samantha Ruth Prabhu. On the other hand, Ranveer Singh is currently enjoying the success of Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar, which has crossed Rs 500 crore at the domestic box office. He will next be seen in the movie’s sequel, set to release in 2026.

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