Dad is forever young at heart: Dulque

I like Pawan Kalyan and Mahesh Babu. I always believe that they are stars because they’ve created their own style

– Dulquer Salmaan

Riding high on accolades he has been receiving for his outing as Aadi in Mani Ratnam’s ‘Ok Bangaram’, Malayalam actor Dulquer Salmaan says the film has caught the fancy of his megastar father Mammootty. “He was very happy to see Mani Ratnam exploring a romantic drama.

He is forever young at heart. He wants to be in tune with the youngsters,” shares Dulquer, adding that Mammootty loved his performance. “He doesn’t say much after watching my movies. He gives me a space of my own and in a way that’s encouragement for me. I think he’s happy and proud of the film.”

Admittedly, it was the Mani Ratnam factor that led him to sign the film. “It was a big opportunity and a blessing for me. I’ve grown up watching his cinema and it was a dream come true to join forces with him,” he says, adding, “He is a very interactive person who believes filmmaking is a team effort. He considers views of everyone on sets.”

Dulquer, already a big star in Malayalam, says that Mani’s approach towards filmmaking is different. “His staging of a sequence is very different. He likes his scenes to be lively and wouldn’t want two people having a seated conversation. He’d rather have a lot of movement.

The space he creates is such that we get the feel of having stepped into a real life scenario.” Terming his first day shoot as memorable, he recalls, “My shoot started off with the ‘Aye Anaamika’ number. Guess he began with the song to make us feel at ease; songs are always a pleasant space as you don’t have to mouth lines (smiles).”

Having made a mark for himself in Telugu with his first release which is a dubbed version of ‘O Kadhal Kanmani’, the actor doesn’t want to rush in to do a Telugu film though producer Dil Raju is ready to launch him! “I have made no plans yet. I‘ve made a fair progress in Malayalam cinema and don’t want to lose my focus there. However, I’m open to venturing into other languages too.

I have done a couple of Tamil films till now. As long as I know the language and a good opportunity comes my way, I’m ready to expand my base.” The actor is familiar with Tollywood stars. “I like Pawan Kalyan and Mahesh Babu. I always believe that they are stars because they’ve created their own style. For someone like me who has started off very recently, there’s always something to learn from my seniors and peers.”

By Nagaraj Goud