Dulquer Salmaan
Dulquer Salmaan is an Indian actor and producer who works in Malayalam films, besides few Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. One of the highest paid Malayalam actors, Salmaan is a recipient of several awards including five Filmfare Awards South, one Kerala State Film Award, one Kerala Film Critics Association Award and one Gaddar Telangana State Film Award.
Born to actor Mammootty, Salmaan graduated with a bachelor's degree in business management from Purdue University and worked as a business manager in Dubai before pursuing a career in acting. After a three-month acting course at the Barry John acting Studio, Salmaan made his acting debut with Second Show and received the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut – South for his performance in Ustad Hotel.
Following his performance in ABCD, Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi, and Vaayai Moodi Pesavum, Salmaan achieved his career breakthrough with Bangalore Days. He established himself as a leading Malayalam actor with Vikramadithyan, Charlie, which earned him Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor, Kali, Kammatti Paadam, Jomonte Suvisheshangal and Kurup. Salmaan expanded to Tamil films with the box-office successes O Kadhal Kanmani and Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal. His highest-grossing releases came with the Telugu films Mahanati, Sita Ramam and Lucky Baskhar. For Mahanati and Sita Ramam, he won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor – Telugu.
Alongside his acting career, Salmaan is a producer, singer and philanthropist. He is married to architect Amal Sufiya with whom he has a daughter.
Early life and background
Salmaan was born on 28 July 1983 in Kochi, to actor Mammootty and his wife Sulfath Kuttyy. He has an elder sister, Surumi. Salmaan completed his primary level education at Toc-H Public School, Vyttila, Kochi and his secondary level education at Sishya School in Chennai. He has a bachelor's degree in Business Management from Purdue University and worked at an IT firm in Dubai. Later, he decided to pursue a career in acting and attended a three-month acting course at the Barry John Acting Studio in Mumbai.Career
Early work (2012–2013)
Salmaan marked his screen debut in 2012 with debutante Srinath Rajendran's Malayalam crime film Second Show, in which he played the role of Harilal, a gangster. When asked in an interview about his "unconventional entry with a bunch of newcomers", Salmaan stated that it was his conscious decision as he felt that "... when an actor debuts, he has to earn the right to be a hero and not get it through a shortcut route." The film was a commercial success.Salmaan next release that year was Anwar Rasheed's Malayalam film Ustad Hotel opposite Nithya Menen. The film, which received the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment, was also a major commercial success at the box office. He received praises for his portrayal of Faizy a budding chef, and a critic of Sify noted, "Dulquer continues his fine form following his impressive debut in Second Show". For his performance, Salmaan won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut – Malayalam, in addition to his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Malayalam. His last film of the year was Theevram, a Malayalam film directed by Roopesh Peethambaran. The film was a box office failure.
File:Dulquar.jpg|thumb|left|Salmaan at the 60th Filmfare Awards South in 2013, where he won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut – South
In 2013, Salmaan first appeared in Martin Prakkat's Malayalam film ABCD: American-Born Confused Desi opposite Aparna Gopinath, in which he made his singing debut with "Johnny Mone Johnny". Though the film received mixed reviews, his performance was well received by critics. Sify stated: "It is Dulquer Salmaan's show all the way and in all fairness the young actor has given his heart and soul into his character." The film was a box office success. He was also part of Amal Neerad's segment Kullante Bharya in the anthology film 5 Sundarikal. Salmaan then collaborated with Sameer Thahir in the Malayalam film Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi, which was a road film. His last release of the year was Alagappan's Malayalam film Pattam Pole, which was a commercial failure. He played a Tamil Hindu who falls in love with a Christian girl opposite Malavika Mohanan.
Established actor (2014–2016)
Salmaan had five releases in 2014, a crucial year in his career. He first appeared in the Malayalam film Salalah Mobiles opposite Nazriya Nazim. A commercial failure, it could not garner much success for the actor. His next appearance was in the Tamil-Malayalam bilingual Vaayai Moodi Pesavum, where he reunited with Nazriya Nazim. While the Malayalam version Samsaaram Aarogyathinu Haanikaram was received poorly, the Tamil version received positive reviews and became a sleeper hit. IANS stated that Salmaan is "a treat to watch" and added, "he earns extra brownie points for dubbing in his own voice and speaking flawless Tamil." He won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut – Tamil for his performance in the film. Salmaan felt that the film did not work in Malayalam due to the different sensibilities of the audience.Salmaan established himself as a leading actor with Anjali Menon's Malayalam film Bangalore Days, his third release of 2014. Salmaan played a biker Arjun, opposite Parvathy, with Nivin Pauly and Nazriya Nazim as his cousins. The film emerged as one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time, grossing around. Aswin J Kumar of The Times of India noted, "Dulquer brings in a rugged charm and a brusque carelessness into Arjun." Later that year, he appeared in Lal Jose's Malayalam film Vikramadithyan, where he played a police officer. It was a box office success. His year's last release was Renjith's Malayalam film Njaan, which he called his "most challenging film yet". His performance received favourable reviews and earned him his second Filmfare Best Actor – Malayalam nomination.
Further success came in 2015 with two films opposite Nithya Menen—Jenuse Mohamed's Malayalam film 100 Days of Love, and Mani Ratnam's Tamil film O Kadhal Kanmani, where he played a video game developer. Baradwaj Rangan wrote: "Dulquer checks off all boxes in the 'Can You Be The Next Madhavan?' questionnaire" and Haricharan Pudipeddi noted, "Dulquer is at ease, speaking his lines in Tamil; he looked most suitable in the role." Though both believed the film belonged primarily to Menen. Salmaan next played the titular role of a carefree vagabond in the Malayalam film Charlie opposite Parvathy. His performance earned him the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actor, in addition to his third Filmfare Best Actor – Malayalam nomination. Vishnu Varma of The Indian Express noted, "For a film that gravitates and leans too much on the central character, Dulquer clearly does not disappoint. He has set the bar indeed high with this role." All three films emerged as box office successes, thus establishing his career.
Salmaan had two film releases in 2016. He first played a man facing anger management issues in the Malayalam film Kali, opposite Sai Pallavi. The film emerged a commercial success. Deepa Soman of The Times of India stated, "Dulquer is quite convincing, without excess drama. The action scenes showcase his attitude and style." He then played a lower cast boy in another Malayalam release Kammatipaadam, which garnered critical acclaim; Salmaan's performance being praised. Both performances earned him the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor – Malayalam. That year, he also had a cameo appearance in the Malayalam film Annmariya Kalippilaanu.
Career progression and critical acclaim (2017–2021)
Salmaan had three film releases in 2017. He first appeared in the Malayalam film Jomonte Suvisheshangal opposite Anupama Parameswaran and Aishwarya Rajesh. Despite comparisons with the 2016 Malayalam drama Jacobinte Swargarajyam, the film did well commercially.His next appearance was in another Malayalam film Comrade in America. The Hindu called it "Dulquer's big hit of 2017". After a cameo appearance in Parava, He then portrayed four roles in the Malayalam-Tamil bilingual anthology Solo. The film faced immense backlash from the audience. Despite negative reviews, his performance was well received and Deepa Soman noted, "Dulquer, who plays four distinct characters, has also showcased a worthy performance. Especially as Siva, the gangster, he looks a lot more convincing in Solo than in other movies in which he has tried the role."
In 2018, Salmaan expanded beyond Malayalam films. He first made his Telugu film debut with Mahanati, playing Gemini Ganesan opposite Keerthy Suresh, who played Savitri. His performance earned him the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor – Telugu, in addition to his first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu. The film emerged as one of the highest grossing Telugu film of all time. Hemnath Kumar noted, "Dulquer is terrific as Ganesan, and it is his charm and flamboyance that pours life into the narrative throughout the first half." Following this, he made his debut in Hindi films with Karwaan, co-starring Irrfan Khan, Mithila Palkar and Kriti Kharbanda. The film was a moderate success at the box office. Anna MM Vetticad noted, "Dulquer gives a gripping performance as the self-effacing Avinash. He and Irrfan are absolute dears in a sweetly understated road flick."
Both of Salmaan's 2019 films performed poorly at the box office. He first appeared in the Malayalam film Oru Yamandan Premakadha opposite Nikhila Vimal. He then played Indian cricket team's captain in the Hindi film The Zoya Factor opposite Sonam Kapoor. Despite mixed reviews, his performance was positively receive, and Nandini Ramnath was appreciative of his "camera-friendly manner and outsized charm" that stands out.
Salmaan appeared in three films in 2020 and also launched his production company, Wayfarer Films. He first appeared opposite Kalyani Priyadarshan in the Malayalam film Varane Avashyamund, which was his first production. The film emerged as one of the year's highest grossing release. Cris of The News Minute stated, "Dulquer perhaps gets the least of the screen time and the actor appreciably does his little part well and lets the seniors take over." He then played a con man opposite Ritu Varma in the Tamil film Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal, which earned him his first nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil. S. Subhakeerthana noted, "If we look beyond Dulquer's box office pull, it is his energy, screen presence and earnest approach to acting that takes the cake in the film." The film was a box office success. He then appeared in a cameo in his production Malayalam film Maniyarayile Ashokan.
His only release in 2021 was the Malayalam film Kurup, where he played the titular role of Sukumara Kurup opposite Sobhita Dhulipala. The film marked his third production venture. One of the highest grossing Malayalam film of all time, it became his highest grosser at that time. Haricharan Pudipeddi noted: "As the central character, Dulquer plays Kurup with unmatchable swag and effortlessness, adding swag and sincerity while playing the elusive fugitive."