I have tremendous respect for people who put in so much work in their craft and career,” he says. Devaiah stands out not just for the roles he plays, but also in the way he chooses them. As a rule, he has two boxes he must check before greenlighting a script—a genuine interest in his role and the project must be good for his career. The only time he made an exception was for A Death in the Gunj where he was initially considered for Ranvir Shorey’s role. “They wanted me to be a part of the film anyhow, so I agreed to the role I was offered, even though I was not really interested in it.I went against my grain and did the film because I liked the script and the people associated with it. It would have been stupid to say no,” he recalls.Coming out of complicated characters is not a long process for Devaiah. “My roles are intense, my process isn’t,” he says. He credits his imagination for the same. “The main criterion is that it should be fun. Even if I’m doing a scene where I’m breaking down, or mourning a loss, it should be creative and that is always fun. I’m not weighed down by the burdens of the character. I don’t think anybody can become someone else; I just want to create an illusion,” he says. Even in-between shots, Devaiah shares, he can be found singing songs or joking around. “After the initial two or three days, I am able to be myself on sets,” he adds.With steady work—both OTT and theatrical—coming his way, the actor feels this is probably the best phase of his career so far. “Earlier, I was restricted to cinema. Post Duranga in 2022, work has been more consistent. The long format interested me and I wanted to adapt to it,” says the actor, who has several other projects coming up in the space. His film Little Thomas is headed for its world premiere at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.Theatrical releases, however, have a special place in his heart. “I grew up loving cinema in the feature film format. They affect you deeply and differently because you are solely focussed on them while watching them,” he says. It only gets bigger and better from here.
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