T he year has begun with a bang for youngster Dulquer Salmaan. 100 Days of Love , starring Dulquer and Nithya Menen in the lead, is romancing the youth in spite of stiff competition from some impressive flicks at the turnstiles. In the meantime, the star is all keyed up for his big release that reached theatres yesterday – Mani Ratnam’s O Kadhal Kanmani (OK Kanmani) with music by A.R. Rahman and lyrics by Vairamuthu.
Dulquer says he feels excited and blessed to be part of a Mani Ratnam film.
This movie, a bi-lingual in Tamil and Telugu [ O.K. Bangaram ] , marks your foray into the Telugu industry…
There is a cinema-loving audience there and some of them are on my Facebook and we interact. They Google the best films of the year, language no bar, and watch them. That is how they happened to watch Ustad Hotel [with Dulquer and Nithya] and they seem to have loved the movie. In fact, I got my first Filmfare award [for Ustad Hotel ] in Hyderabad. So it is nice to have a film of mine that speaks Telugu.
What was the experience of being a Mani Ratnam hero?
For any actor, being part of a Mani Ratnam film is a great experience. I grew up watching his films. He gives each actor the space to evolve and become the character. It was the same with O.K. Kanmani . He told me about Adi, my character, a techie from Chennai. He explained who Adi was, his background and his character and then left it to me to flesh out the character.
So who is Adi?
He is not unfamiliar to me, seeing that I grew up in Chennai and did my schooling in the city. He is a contemporary guy, someone I could relate to. Adi’s work takes him to Mumbai and that is where he takes some interesting decisions. He is not me but I know him.
This is your third film with Nithya?
Yes. And it is so nice to work with people you know. People working in films are somewhat like gypsies, we move from set to set and spent weeks, sometimes even longer working while shooting a film. Right from the spot boys to the make-up guys and cast and crew, we become a kind of family. So it is always nice to catch up with people who have worked with earlier or spot a familiar face.
Speaking about our films together, I must say our characters are completely different in all the three films we worked together in the lead. We hardly had a few scenes together in Ustad Hotel . In 100 Days of Love , it was our story but there is a kind of a quest for this girl, a trail and so on. O K Kanmani is a love story of a completely different kind.
Did you make a conscious effort to try and be different in the films since they are back to back romantic flicks?
But the characters are different, they speak different languages, wear different clothes and find themselves in different situations… So it was fun to do these vastly diverse films though both are love stories. I did not have to make an effort to try and do anything differently. The story itself was completely different. I have high expectations about the movie; the songs and trailers are all doing well on social media.
You were on a roll last year, with a wide range of characters, hits to your credit and an offbeat one like Njan too…So how do you select your films?
Gut instinct. I look at the director and the team that are working on a movie. You feel at ease with them and there is a confidence level that is inspiring.
Talking about your roles, you seem to have a keen interest in cooking. Some of your films, including 100 Days of Love show you whipping up a meal comfortably.
(Laughs) Well, I have lived abroad while studying and when you are away from home for a long period you tend to miss home food, Indian spicy food… So then you try your hand at cooking something. I can make chicken curry, rice, kheema… I am a foodie and enjoy varied cuisines. My favourites are Korean and Japanese.
You can never escape comparisons with your father, Mammootty. Does that affect you in any way?
Not at all. I feel blessed and happy and have no problem with the comparisons. In fact, I would say it is inevitable. He is way beyond my league and I am happy with the niche and space I have found in cinema. I would like to make my own mark in movies.
Recently actor Lena said in an interview about the kind of preparations you made for a crucial scene in Vikramadithyan . Is that how you get into the skin of a character?
Well, I am not a spontaneous actor like Nazriya or Nithya. I cannot shake off a mood and do something contrary immediately. I might take time. So for a confrontation scene with Lena, who played my mother in the film, I did make some effort to capture the mood. I did not talk to anyone and went into my character to find that state of mind. I am not a confrontational person and so it did take some effort. And you can’t cheat the camera with fake emotions.
Young actors today are comfortable in many languages. Like many of them, are you Bollywood bound?
I am open to offers and if that happens, I will take it up. But my focus is on Malayalam films. I feel that if you try to multi-task too much, you might end up nowhere. Cinema involves many complexities and it is not easy. I enjoy working in movies that appeal to and will be seen by many people. Right now, I am working with Martin Prakkat, which should be released around Onam. I will also be working with Rajeev Ravi and Amal Neerad.
