8 films that highlight Dulquer Salmaan’s versatility as an actor

Beyond all the adjectives that are often used to describe him, Dulquer Salmaan is also one of the most exciting actors in Malayalam cinema today. Being superstar Mammootty’s son, one could be tempted to believe that Salmaan’s pedigree made his journey as an actor easier, but truth is he has spent almost his entire career trying to carve his own identity. In fact, he almost didn’t want to be an actor, and by his own admission was more keen to direct films, because he didn’t want to be under constant pressure of being compared to his father. “His father was his benchmark. He was always in awe of him, so acting was that one thing he felt he couldn’t do,” entrepreneur Ashika Korula, an old friend of Salmaan who runs an educational-recreational events company in Kerala, told Vogue in 2019. Today, more than 25 films later, Dulquer Salmaan has not only made inroads in other film industries in Indian cinema—including Bollywood—he has also become the voice of a new generation of Malayalis who are independent and ambitious. Tracing his rise to stardom, film critic Neelima Menon once wrote “Dulquer, in some ways, spoke to the confusion of a generation that didn’t want to do the same things their parents did, but weren’t exactly sure how they could be different.”

Right from his debut film, Second Show (2012) to his most recent feature, Varane Avashyamundu (2020), the actor has preferred making unconventional choices and steering clear of commercial cinema, so to speak. Family discord and coming-of-age were two of the recurring elements in Dulquer’s filmography, especially when he played urban roles in the initial years of his career. His first breakthrough film, Ustad Hotel (2012) saw him playing Faizi, a man who dreams of becoming a chef, but is forced to go to Kozhikode and work at his grandfather’s hotel after a fight with his father. In ABCD: American-Born Confused Desi (2013), he played a spoilt NRI brat whose life undergoes a major change when he’s forced to live a life without any luxury. And then, in Anjali Menon’s Bangalore Days (2014), he took on the role of Arjun, a biker who resents his parents for abandoning him at a young age. 

In 2015, two films, OK Kanmani and Charlie, further cemented his stardom, and made him the poster boy for romantic dramas, which resonated with young moviegoers. Not the one to conform to notions about his image on screen, Salmaan continued to experiment more in subsequent years, which led him to intense roles in films like Kaali (2018), where he impressed critics and audiences alike with his performance as an angry young man, and Kammatipaadam (2016), which focused on the underbelly of a bustling metropolis and the price people pay while trying to move up the social ladder. However, not all his choices hit the target as he intended—the lukewarm response to films like Jomonte Suvisheshangal (2017), Comrade in America (2017) and Solo (2017), is proof.

Despite the setbacks, the actor continued to push the envelope with another stellar performance as Gemini Ganesan in Mahanati (2018), actress Savitri’s biopic, which fetched him plenty of accolades. In recent years, with Hindi films like Karwaan (2018) and The Zoya Factor (2019), the actor has also been able to make Bollywood take notice of him, and it still feels like his best is yet to come. This year, Salmaan made his foray into film production with Varane Avashyamund (2020)—it’s the first film he has backed under his new Wayfarer Films banner—and he already has his hands fill with three more films, including Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal, Vaan, and Kurup lined up for release.

Ahead, we list out eight South Indian films from Dulquer Salmaan’s career that have showcased the spectrum of his acting prowess:

 1. Ustad Hotel (2012)

Directed by Anwar Rasheed, Ustad Hotel saw Dulquer playing a chef who is forced to work as a cook in a restaurant run by his grandfather, but learns a lot about life itself from him. Written by Anjali Menon, this is a feel-good film that delves into teh concepts of love, family and food.

Streaming on Hotstar

2. Bangalore Days (2014)

In Bangalore Days, the actor played Arjun, a mechanic-turned-bike racer who keeps urging his cousins, Divya (Nazriya Nizam) and Krishnan (Nivin Pauly), to break free and adapt to a different lifestyle. One of the high points in the film is how Arjun’s own life changes when he falls in love with RJ Sarah (Parvathy Thiruvothu), a paraplegic who calms him down and encourages him to make peace with himself and the world around him.  

Streaming on Hotstar

3. Vaayai Moodi Pesavum (2014)

An unusual romantic drama, Vaayai Moodi Pesavum marked Salmaan’s foray into Tamil cinema, and it had him playing a salesman in Panimalai, a hill city which is struck by a mysterious virus that causes sudden muteness. Directed by Balaji Mohan, the film has a beautiful romantic track between Salmaan and Nazriya Nazim, who fall in love in the midst of this virus outbreak, while the rest of the town grapples to find a solution. 

Streaming on Zee5

4. Charlie (2015)

Salmaan played the titular role in Martin Prakkat’s Charlie, which focuses on the lives of Tessa (Parvathy Thiruvothu), a graphic artist who goes on a wild goose chase to find Charlie, a vagabond who changes the lives of several people with his positive approach to life. It’s a romantic drama that turns the genre on its head, where searching for a soulmate itself turns into an endearing love story.

Streaming on SunNXT

5. O Kadhal Kanmani (2015)

Salmaan and Nithya Menen’s dazzling chemistry is evident in every frame of this Mani Ratnam’s directorial, which had the actor playing a game developer. The duo fall in love with each other instantly and get into a live-in relationship, however, it’s only after they see another elderly couple, played by Prakash Raj and Leela Samson, that they realise how much they value each other’s presence in their lives.

Streaming on Hotstar

6. Kammatipaadam (2016)

Rajeev Ravi’s Kammatipaadam saw Salmaan playing Krishnan, who returns to Kochi to find out the whereabouts of his childhood friend, Ganga (Vinayakan). The film traces the tryst between caste and real-estate mafia, and how the latter built its empire by crushing the Dalit community in the growing metropolis. It’s raw, realistic, and one of the best Malayalam films in Salmaan’s career.

Streaming on Hotstar

7. Kali (2016)

After playing a slew of feel-good romantic dramas, Salmaan shifted gears for Sameer Tahir’s Kali, which had him playing Siddharth, a character whose severe anger management issues strains his relationship with his wife Anjali (Sai Pallavi). The actor is in top form in this intense drama, which showed that Salmaan can pull off such roles effortlessly. 

Streaming on Hotstar

8. Mahanati (2018)

Salmaan sprang a big surprise in his Telugu debut film—Nag Ashwin’s Mahanati, a biopic of actress Savitri—playing the role Gemini Ganesan, who is slowly getting engulfed by jealousy. There’s no denying that Salmaan’s charismatic screen presence and rich baritone made this film unforgettable, even as Keerthy Suresh wowed everyone with her National Award-winning performance as Savitri. 

Streaming on Prime Video

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