Kannada actor Gopalkrishna Deshpande is on a roll. He was prominent in this year’s Blink , Shakhahaari, Kenda, Happy Birthday to Me, and Bisi Bisi Ice Cream. In recent times, he has also played interesting characters in acclaimed movies such as the Sapta Sagaradaache Ello films ( Side A and Side B ), Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana (GGVV) and Avane Srimannarayana.
I tell him his record is similar to a batsman with a solid strike rate; Deshpande laughs at my comparison and says it’s all about “being in the right place at the right time.” “When Lucia and Ulidavaru Kandante spurred a new-generation movement in Kannada cinema, I felt like being part of it. Those films took me by surprise,” he says.
Gopalkrishna Deshpande| Photo Credit:Ravichandran N Following his theatre days in Ninasam, Deshpande became a significant name in television, with Putta Gowri Maduve being one of his noted works among other soap operas. The actor with Raj B Shetty on the sets of ‘Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana’.| Photo Credit:@RajBShettyOMK/Twitter “I can’t recollect a turning point that led me to films.
When you are in one field for a long time, you start getting bored with what you are doing. So, I moved from theatre to serials, and cinema came calling. B V Karanth beautifully explains this transition from one craft to another.
He says that, ‘Relaxation isn’t about resting. It’s about moving from one work to another.” Dehpande’s breakthrough role came in the gangster dram.