As Hunterrr (2025) is all set to re-release on April 4, its lead actor Gulshan Devaiah spoke exclusively with Bollywood Hungama about his memories of working on the film and a lot more. As expected, Gulshan raised lot of laughs with his quirky and brutally honest replies, which makes him a one-of-its-kind celeb.
EXCLUSIVE: Gulshan Devaiah talks about Hunterrr’s re-release; reveals, “I had some experience of shooting erotic scenes thanks to Vivek Agnihotri’s Hate Story”; decodes Bollywood’s profit illusion: “A Rs. 70 cr film making Rs. 100 cr is NOT profitable…”
How do you feel that Hunterrr is all set to re-release?
I don’t know what to feel (laughs). I really don’t know. The film has already given me a lot. We have all moved on. I have lots of fond memories of Hunterrr. Those who saw the film, it made sense to them and they found it very personal. Hence, it lives in the hearts and minds of people.
So yeah, I am neither nervous nor excited. It was proposed to me that the makers thinking of re-releasing it. I was like, ‘Okay. Sure’!
Hunterrr was released on March 20, 2015. Do you recall that day and how you were feeling then?
I was nervous and all over the place. I was sweating buckets. I was relatively new and there were so many things that I didn’t understand. It was the last time I saw every cut of the film. I must have watched a dozen versions of the film. Then, I stopped as I realized that it was not good for my mental health. I struggled with nervousness and anxiety. I was wondering if people would like it or not. As usual, I don’t like anything I do. I thought that the film was crap (laughs)! I feared nobody would like it. This is what I felt on March 20, 2015.
You have often said that if Hunterrr had crossed the Rs. 100 crores mark, you could have had a better career…
In 2015, Rs. 100 crores had not become the benchmark. Also, you needed to hit a significant number (to make an impact). When Vicky Donor (2012) came out, it was a relatively inexpensive film. Ayushmann Khurrana had some recall value from his radio and TV draws but he was not a box-office draw. Yet, it set the ball rolling for him because of the return on investment (ROI). I remember they smartly marketed the film as kitna percentage ROI aaya. People don’t pay attention to these things unless you put it out. I don’t expect regular people to have any idea on how the business works. Hence, how do you define a successful film? Those days, the idea was that the numbers have to be really high, regardless of how much you spend. If you made a Rs. 70 crores film and it collects Rs. 100 crores, you can build a perception around it. But in reality, it’s not a profitable venture for you.
In the first week, there were theatres where Hunterrr was playing with 12 and even 18 shows a day. It was a big release. Tragically, in my hometown Bengaluru, it was playing with 2 shows daily, that too in the afternoon (laughs). It was strange as people in that city do watch Hindi films extensively. That’s when I understood how business works, every territory is different and that there are certain dynamics that we need to understand. It taught me that if I was going to be emotional about all these things and the lifetime earnings, I was not going to last. I need to learn and accept things the way they are.
Wherever I go, people talk about Hunterrr. It might not be the first point of discussion but it definitely comes up. Some even call it a cult film. Many remarked that Hunterrr was the first film of mine that they saw. I guess that’s a success, especially if it has lasted for so long. However, for many, the only way the film becomes a success is through figures.
Hunterrr had intimacy scenes and it was a time when there was no concept of an intimacy coach. How was it to shoot these scenes? Were you uncomfortable?
It was not uncomfortable to shoot. These FTII (Film and Television Institute of India) chaps want to shoot their debut movie on film. Director Harshvardhan Kulkarni couldn’t afford a 35 mm camera. Hence, he shot it on Super 16. But it still requires raw stock, which costs money. Since he didn’t want to waste money on retakes, he would make us rehearse scenes extensively. In other words, I was dry-humping my co-actors while doing rehearsals (laughs)! Thankfully, everyone was professional about it. There was no discomfort. But we didn’t how to film a sex scene. I had some experience of erotic scenes, thanks to Vivek Agnihotri and his film Hate Story (2012)! It was not that the director figured it out completely but I also worked with a very professional actor Paoli Dam, who made me feel very comfortable.
Hence, I had some idea of how to approach the scene. My idea was that you have to commit to the scene and also make the person trust you. If you make them feel that you won’t do anything that you don’t want them to do, then it works.
With Sai Tamhankar, it was pretty straightforward. Also, when I was shooting with Hansa Singh, she was cool and super pro about it. But Harsh was not ready to waste stock. He was like, ‘Tum log rehearsal karke dikhao’. We would discuss, ‘Yeh position camera mein accha nahin dikhta’, ‘face dikhna mangta hai’, ‘chin upar karna’, etc. We were having this conversation in the house that we had rented out for shoot. X-rated film ka vibes aa raha tha (laughs)! That was amusingly awkward. But we got it done and eventually, the film got cut from the scene!
But this scene got leaked on the internet. And it turned out that Savita Bhabhi’s number in the film was the number of Harshvardhan Kulkarni in real life…
He’s to blame. Apna number kaun daalta hai aise (laughs)!
How was it shooting on Super 16 and what were the other challenges you all faced?
Super 16 ke chakkar mein bahut hua hai. He would make us rehearse every scene, not just intimate ones. People used to advise him, ‘Tu pehli film bana raha hai. FTII graduate hai tu. Tu film mein shoot karega’. 35 ki aukat nahin thi hamari (laughs). Hence, we opted for Super 16.
But it was a good experience. When the film began, we had money and later, we had no money! Later, Shemaroo and Phantom came on board as release partners.
Also, our shooting was halted as Balasaheb Thackeray passed away. Hamara catering wala khana leke nahin aaya tha uss din. There was no food. We were all stuck in a hotel in Pune called Beverly Hills. 99% of the film is shot in the city.
Interestingly, Hunterrr has also been shot in FTII Pune…
Yes. Since so many people in the film were from FTII, un logon ko nostalgia maarne ka rehta hai (laughs).
You once said that Hunterrr 2 will be wilder and crazier…
Harsh has multiple ideas. He has narrated at least 5 ideas to me. It’s totally up to him. I know viewers would not want to see somebody else. However, I feel this subject can be explored with a different cast and different scenarios. Or maybe, there is nothing to explore.
However, I am sure that if Hunterrr 2 is made with the same star cast, we all will make money as our salaries are quite high now (laughs). During the first part, we barely earned. This is the chief reason why I feel the sequel should be made. Harshvardhan bhi bechara paisa banayega!
On a serious note, I have no say in this. Nevertheless, I am there for him if he wants to make the film. If he wants to make with some other actor, I am there. If he wants to sell the IP, that’s also fine with me.
More Pages: Hunterrr Box Office Collection
, Hunterrr Movie Review
, Hunterrr Movie Review
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