Dulquer Salmaan’s growth in films has been steady and charismatic. Despite being the son of Mammootty, one of Indian cinema’s biggest stars, Dulquer’s evolution as an independent entity in Indian cinema has been an enterprising journey.
Dulquer, who recently turned 40, surmised his career succinctly, and said, “Looking back, my biggest regret would have been turning 40 and not being in the movies. I’m glad I am doing what I love.”
Right from his debut in Second Show (2012) to gradually making his presence in Tamil with films like O Kadhal Kanmani, Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal, cementing a strong identity in Telugu films with Mahanati and Sita Ramam, and stepping into the realm of Hindi cinema with Karwaan, and Chup, Dulquer has silently developed a stellar pan-Indian presence.
Stepping into his 11th year as an actor, Dulquer says, “I wanted to grow organically and earn my place, love, and respect. I will let my films give directions to the way I grow. It is people who decide what and whom to watch. I think whatever I am, it is because I didn’t chase stardom.”
Now, Dulquer is going all guns blazing to promote his upcoming gangster drama, King of Kotha (KOK), which is being mounted as his biggest pan-Indian project. The film boasts a stellar cast including the likes of Aishwarya Lekshmi, Prasanna, Dancing Rose Shabeer, Chemban Vinod, and Anikha Surendran.
“Almost all the actors who came onboard questioned the viability and possibility of making this film on such a big canvas. But we are confident of having pulled it off,” assures Dulquer, who is also backing the film under his Wayfarer Films banner.
Without divulging much about the world constructed for King of Kotha, Dulquer paints a picture of what to expect from the film.
“Honestly, I didn’t want to change the fictional world’s name in every language because it is the brainchild of the writer. I understand that the word has different meanings in each region, for instance, in Telugu, it means new. We took care to change the pronunciation while dubbing. Kotha is a fictional, lawless town and has got an interesting story and many characters. You have got fights, football, songs and dance. Each twist in the story is intertwined with other twists and plot points in one way or the other.”
While Dulquer has ensured his filmography has a diverse nature to it, he does carry the tag of being a romantic hero, especially with the successes of an OK Kanmani or a Sita Ramam. Admitting that he is aware of this tag following him throughout his career, Dulquer candidly says, “The tag might be a good one for the initial decade of a young actor’s career. However, it will soon become boring for the audience, and me. I think I should surprise you and try different genres. It’s not that I won’t do romantic films, but it should be something that stands the test of time. My next romantic film after Sita Ramam should be a really special film.”
It is interesting how a film like Sita Ramam was sneaked in between the suave crime thriller Kurup, a bloody serial killer film like Chup, and now, King of Kotha. “Raju from KOK is very violent, loud, and impulsive. He deals with his own set of conflicts, and it is something that applies to all characters of Kotha,” says Dulquer, reminding us that Raju is very unlike his real self.
Incidentally, King of Kotha marks the directorial debut of Abhilash, the son of veteran filmmaker Joshiy, who has been a frequent collaborator with Mammootty. In fact, the Joshiy-Mammootty combination has given Malayalam cinema some of its most explosive blockbusters, and Dulquer-Abhilash have a history pre-dating their film journey. “He is my oldest friend and when Abhilash wanted to make a film, I was very particular that he should start really strongly. For three years, I did not like any of the scripts he came up with, and finally, when he was on the verge of giving up, KOK happened. We knew it was something special.”
When questioned if the decision to produce King of Kotha was to support his friend, Dulquer says his foray into this world was to protect himself, and his films. “I’ve had films of mine that didn’t reach their potential because of a variety of reasons, including marketing. I turned producer to protect my films. As a producer, when I hear a script, I understand what the film needs. I can ensure the thought is not just on how much money the film makes, but how every penny spent is translated onscreen,” explains Dulquer, who shares that the success of his recent ventures spurned him on to mount KOK on this scale.
“With Kurup, Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal, and Sita Ramam, I have the courage to attempt something big. Earlier, if someone came to me with a big-budget film, I would get scared. With every film, one of my primary concerns is definitely ensuring that it ends up being a safe venture for the makers.” The journey that started with a ‘small’ film like Second Show has now reached a definitive second phase for Dulquer, who has also made his foray into long-format storytelling with Netflix’s Guns and Gulaabs. “It has taken me a decade to do a big-budget film like King of Kotha, and I don’t want you to predict what I do next,” signs off Dulquer.