Son of Malayalam superstar Mammootty, Dulquer Salman has cemented his place down South as a versatile actor. Instead of choosing a romantic or action film for his Bollywood debut, Dulquer opted for a light-hearted film Karwaan. He was seen alongside Irfan Khan and Mithila Palkar in the movie.
Dulquer garnered immense praise for his impressive performance in the film from both the audience and the critics. For his second Bollywood outing too, Dulquer chose rom-com The Zoya Factor where he portrays the role of Indian Cricket team captain.
Dulquer spoke about his unconventional script choices and told NDTV,
“My father always encourages me to take risks. Right from my initial days, he told me that my food, lodging and other basic things were secure. So, as a youngster, if I don’t take risks if I don’t experiment, who will?”
“Dad always says that unless you make mistakes you cannot build your character as an individual, and grow as an artist. If one film fails, I do not have to sleep on the road, right? So, then why should I not take calculated risks? My father is very stubborn. He does not believe in spoon-feeding me in the film business,” he continued.
said, “It really depends on the kind of character I am playing, because in some, I need physical training while in others I need more of mental preparation and observation.”
Giving an example of one of his Mahanati, Dulquer shared, “That was my Telugu debut and I was playing the iconic actor Gemini Ganesan. I did quite a bit of character study for the role. I met his family to know some of his habits in daily life and also his body language. It is interesting to know these details. My idea was not to mock any individual but to internalize some of those elements so that I can portray the role correctly.”
“In my Bollywood debut, Karwaan, I played a regular guy. It was a silent character so I was not in that zone of heavy preparation. For ‘The Zoya Factor‘ though, I had to learn the game of cricket,” he pointed out.
When asked if it was difficult for him to work in a Hindi film, Dulquer said, “Hindi was my second language and I grew up in Chennai, so my Tamil is good. My mother made sure that my sister and I speak in Malayalam at home so that at least we learn our mother tongue. Having said that, I think in English, so any other language I converse in, I actually translate in my mind before saying it.”
As reported by Outlook India, he also shared that earlier his parents used to point out the fact that he does not
“I think it is a generational thing. I was admitted in an English medium school, so it is only natural that I would pick up that language. Of course, back then I did not know I would become an actor,” he said.
“However, I to learn different languages as a kid. So I am constantly learning and I think dad is happy with the fact that I am doing everything by myself,” said Dulquer, mentioning “eating rice” as the most “Mallu habit” he has.
Whether it’s a Hindi film, Tamil, Telugu or Malayalam, Dulquer Salman has already proven his mettle in the industry. And, we hope he continues to do so for years to come!