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Under the trailer of Lucky Baskhar, someone had praised Dulquer Salmaan’s grasp over the Telugu language. Soon enough, someone else replied, “Of course, he is a Telugu actor. What else do you expect?” This was a double-edged response because one might imagine this as a positive comment from a pumped up person from the Telugu states. But it could also be a disgruntled member of the Malayalam cinema audience who is vocal about their displeasure with Dulquer for not concentrating on Malayalam cinema.

“This is, in a way, a good problem to have, right? I can’t stop the trolls. Even now, I have a couple of Malayalam films in various stages of production, but it is impossible to please everyone. What I am doing in Telugu, I don’t get it in Tamil. What I do in Tamil, I don’t get to do it in Hindi. What I get to do in Hindi, I don’t get to do in Malayalam. And… you get the gist, right? All I can do is not to take it too much to heart, and just move on,” says Dulquer, who vouches to make up for lost time over the past couple of years.

“Ideally, I want to do 3-4 films a year, and alternate between each language. I would love to sign a film on Monday, and finish the shoot on Friday. But it is really not in my hands, and I also had some health issues. “Turning 40 is a real thing, I guess,” says a smiling Dulquer, who is currently doing the promotional rounds for his upcoming film Lucky Baskhar, directed by Venky Atluri. 

‘Everyone is excited about making money’

Lucky Baskhar is set in the late 80s, and it is about a common man finding a way to become rich by both hook and crook. “What I really liked about the film is that it was a relatable story of a common man. We have either heard of someone like him, or been in his shoes. What he does to overcome economic pressures of the family, and the repercussions of his choices is what Lucky Baskhar is all about,” says Dulquer, who added that everyone loves to see protagonists with grey shades because it allows them to live vicariously. 

“Everybody is excited about making money, right? Of course, in real life, we know the distinction between right and wrong. Even in Lucky Baskhar, we aren’t glorifying or encouraging breaking the rules, but there is no doubt that there is a clear fascination for people who skirt around the rules,” points out Dulquer. 

‘I can’t still keep coming of age or finding myself in my films’

Although Dulquer Salmaan has done some varied roles in his 12-year-old career, there have been times when consecutive roles have been similar to each other. “There was a trend of doing urban NRI characters for a while. Then I did a bunch of love stories. And now, a long list of period dramas. But yeah, I like doing grey shaded characters. I’m done with the coming-of-age genre and finding myself in every other film. I’ve crossed that age. Also, as actors, we like grey characters because we can behave outside our own personality,” says the OK Kanmani actor, who believes that this fascination is not just among actors, but the audience too.

“Why are true crime documentaries popular? We want to know how someone else can break rules, hurt somebody, and commit crimes. We might not do it, but we need to know the whys and hows.” 

‘My wife misses me a lot…’ 

King of Kotha, Kurup, Guns and Gulaabs, Sita Ramam, Lucky Baskhar, and the upcoming Tamil film, Kaantha, have one thing in common apart from starring Dulquer Salmaan. They are all period dramas with the films being set in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. In fact, his other films since 2021, include Kalki 2898 AD, which was set in the future, Salute, which starred him in the role of an aged cop, and Hey Sinamika, which is probably the only film set in the contemporary era.

“As an actor, I am open to acting in every genre. Honestly, all this dressing up and living in the look isn’t easy. So, in some ways, I don’t want to take up such a film in the near future,” reveals Dulquer, who candidly admits that one can’t write anything in concrete terms in the field of cinema. “What if the script is genuinely beautiful and authentic? Why should I say no? That is wrong towards my art, and the actor in me,” says the Salute actor who speaks fondly about making films set in the vintage era because it allows more drama in storytelling. “Everything is a bit too instant now, right?”

Also Dulquer admits that there is a sort of trepidation that filmmakers might conjure up a period film in their head, and think that is his primary yardstick to greenlight a project. “There are a few rules in my head, including my unwillingness to star in remakes. I want to fight for good roles,” says Dulquer, who admits that continuously appearing in period films does have its fair share of problems. “Whenever I facetime with my wife, I am in one look or another. She’d be like ‘I miss my husband.’”

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