Gulshan Devaiah slams fan dressing up as Daiva at Kantara Chapter 1 screening: ‘Cheap gimmick for 15 second fame'

Following a video of a man dressing up as Daiva at a Kantara Chapter 1 screening, actor Gulshan Devaiah criticized the insincerity of such acts.

Kannada star Rishab Shetty’s Kantara Chapter 1 has been making waves at the box office since its release. However, a recent video from a theatre in Tamil Nadu has sparked controversy. The clip shows a man dressed up as a Daiva during a screening of the film. Actor Gulshan Devaiah condemned the act, calling it a “cheap gimmick” and urging people to stop resorting to such stunts for attention.

Gulshan Devaiah was seen in a villainous role in Kantara Chapter 1.

Gulshan Devaiah calls fan immitating Daiva ‘cheap gimmick’

In an interview with Zoom, Gulshan reacted to the viral video, saying, “It was a cheap gimmick. People these days will do anything to get 15 seconds of fame. Videos are going viral, and that’s precious to them. They should really stop doing that. I’m nobody to tell people what to do, but this is very cheap. It lacks sincerity. If you do it with sincerity, I understand, people will sense it and not misunderstand. Like the film.”

He further added that while such behaviour is insincere, Rishab Shetty’s approach to the film reflects deep faith and honesty. “Rishab (Shetty) has so much sincerity for this story. He’s approached it with devotion and integrity, and that’s why he will never be misunderstood. He himself is a devout, religious person. When people imitate such acts without sincerity, it becomes a cheap gimmick just to go viral. I sincerely request people to stop doing it,” he said.

The video in question showed a fan dressed as Daiva making a dramatic entrance inside a theatre in Tamil Nadu. Although security personnel tried to intervene, the man continued to run and dance around the hall. Following the incident, the makers of Kantara Chapter 1 issued a statement urging people not to imitate Daiva characters in public.

A part of their statement read, “Dhaivaradhane or Daiva worship, as featured in our film, is rooted in deep spiritual tradition and is not intended for performance or casual mimicry. Such acts trivialise our belief system and deeply hurt the religious sentiments and faith of the Tulu community. Hombale Films therefore makes a strong and sincere appeal to the public and audiences to refrain from any act that involves imitating, mimicking, or trivialising the Daiva personas, whether in cinema halls or in public places.”

About Kantara Chapter 1

Directed by Rishab Shetty and produced by Hombale Films, Kantara Chapter 1 serves as a prequel to the 2022 blockbuster Kantara. The film stars Gulshan Devaiah as Kulashekhara, an entitled, alcoholic and ruthless king of the Bangra kingdom. The prequel delves into the ancient origins of the Buta Kola ritual and expands upon the lore explored in the first film.

Alongside Rishab, the film features Jayaram, Rukmini Vasanth, and Pramod Shetty in key roles. Kantara Chapter 1 has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from both critics and audiences, emerging as a major box office success — collecting over ₹500 crore worldwide and ₹359 crore domestically within just nine days of release.