The actor said he was doing more non-Malaylaam films of late because he wasn't burdened by the tag of being 'Mammootty's son'.
Published Jul 19, 2024 | 11:38 AM ⚊ Updated Jul 19, 2024 | 11:38 AM
I don't want to be known by my family name, says Dulquer Salmaan. (X)
Dulquer Salmaan has played some amazing roles in South Indian films. He also acted in Bollywood films. His recent Telugu films Mahanati (2018) and Sita Ramam (2022) won him a huge fanbase in the two Telugu states.
Interestingly, Dulquer Salmaan has no big projects in Malayalam—his home turf, which left his Malayalee fans wondering why; especially after his much-anticipated Malayalam film, King of Kotha (2023), failed to do well at the box office.
Meanwhile, his latest interview with film critic Bharadwaj Rangan—where he spoke about his films, family, and much more—went viral. While a few netizens aren’t happy with his statements, some came out in support of the actor.
About how his name is related to his actor-father Mammootty, Dulquer Salmaan asserted that an actor cannot survive forever using one’s family name. “I’m not a star kid in other industries. Though I am Mammootty’s son, I would like to be recognised as Dulquer Salmaan.”
He further said, “However, never allows him to shake off that tag, for their agenda. They also target me and create problems for me whenever I work on Tamil and Telugu films.”
Dulquer Salmaan hastened to add, “If I do well in Tamil or Telugu and the audience in those states love my work, these people try to attack (troll) me. They wouldn’t even consider that I hail from their state. Even when I received this love and acceptance, I almost wouldn’t allow myself to enjoy that. This is not good for my mental health.”
The actor said he was doing more non-Malaylaam films of late because he wasn’t burdened by the tag of being ‘Mammootty’s son’. “When I work in other languages, I’m very much known as me.”
“I am a fiercely proud son of my father. However, I don’t want it to ever seem like it was easy for me or that I don’t care about this (the films). Some people know me for what I am. I don’t want to be known by my family name or do movies because of that,” Dulquer Salmaan added.
The actor’s next is the Telugu movie Lucky Baskhar directed by Venki Atluri. It will hit the screens on 7 September. Later, he will be seen in the Tamil film Kaantha, which he is co-producing along with Telugu actor-producer Rana Daggubati.
(Edited by Y Krishna Jyothi)
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