Not following trends, 'Duranga' has life of its own: Gulshan Devaiah on Hindi adaptation of K-drama

The popularity of all things Korean is at an all-time high, including in India, today but that was not the reason behind making "Duranga", an official adaptation of the hit K-drama "Flower of Evil", says Gulshan Devaiah.

The actor said "Duranga" is a "localised" romantic thriller show where the characters from the original 2020 series have been reinterpreted according to Indian milieu.

Earlier this year, it was reported that "Something in the Rain", the popular K-drama starring Son Ye-jin and Jung Hae-in, is also set for an Indian remake.

According to Devaiah, he was only interested in the script of "Duranga" and Sammit, his character.

"I didn't think that they are following a trend or are trying to do something different with it. They said about not following the original source material to a T but they wanted it to have a life of its own.

"The pacing, interpretation and certain plot points will be the same but all the characters have been reinterpreted according to the culture," the 44-year-old told PTI in an interview.

The "Badhaai Do!" star said he consciously didn't watch "Flower of Evil" as he wanted to have his own take on the character.

"I told Goldie Behl I won't watch the original show. I had some ideas and I shared them with the directors and Goldie, and they seemed to like them. It ('Duranga') seemed like a good idea for me from both craft and career point of view."

However, Devaiah said there is pressure to satisfy the viewers who have watched and liked the Korean series.

"I hope our interpretation of the characters are also not influenced. But there is that pressure also from the people who have watched the original show. They like it for a certain reason and there is always a pressure when people are fans of yours," he added.

In "Duranga", Sammit is described as the perfect man who cooks, spends time at home and is a sculptor, but he is hiding a twisted past from his wife Ira, a super cop.

The Bengaluru-born actor said his character doesn't fall under the category of "layered and complex".

"As actors, we have to make choices that sometimes we'll mislead people but that's not the purpose. What you don't see is what you don't understand, but once you see what you don't see then it's really simple.

"People who do have some kind of a psychological issue seem very complex but they can be very straightforward once you understand what exactly is the thing that's going on," he said.

As an actor, Devaiah said he likes to lay a foundation for his character and needs to understand its motivation.

"I have a lot of preconceived ideas because I use my imagination. Spontaneity comes into play after there is some groundwork. It's a combination of a lot of things to prepare but once I'm prepared then you have to allow your impulse to take over also. I'm not entirely spontaneous or entirely structured.

"It's a combination in which the percentage keeps changing from project to project. The preparation depends on when you feel you are ready. Experience also teaches you a lot, you're able to prepare when you are more experienced as an actor."

He also has horror thriller film "Blurrr" with Taapsee Pannu and Prime Video series "Dahaad", directed by Reema Kagti and Ruchika Oberoi.

The actor said he had a lot of fun working on "Blurrr", which marks the production debut of Pannu.

"'Blurrr' was shot mostly in Nainital and it was fun working on the film but it was really depressing weather because it was monsoons. That wasn't fun," he added.

"Dahaad", he said, probably had "the longest stint" for any series when it was under production. The show marks the series debut of Sonakshi Sinha.

"About 30 per cent of 'Dahaad' was shot pre-pandemic and then we had to wait. I play a cop and I really enjoyed it... We shot extensively in Rajasthan. There was a lot of preparation for it, there was a dialect coach. I will mostly be seen in a police uniform, so that was a lot of fun."

A nine-episode series, "Duranga" also stars Rajesh Khattar, Divya Sheth, Zakir Hussain, Barkha Bisht, Abhijit Khandkekar and Hera Mishra. It will start streaming on ZEE5 from August 19.