I want to stay away from remakes: Dulquer Salmaan
At a time when most top actors are venturing into the OTT space, one would assume that Dulquer Salmaan would follow suit. The actor reveals there’s been no dearth of offers, but he had been waiting for the right project.
“I had been getting a lot of inquiries for [web] series, but most of them were remakes of shows made in the West. I want to stay away from remakes and only stick to original content,” says Salmaan, who is set to star in his first OTT series — Raj & DK’s upcoming crime caper.
“I think they’re the best people to work with. I love their shows and films. So, when I spoke to them, they said there was an ensemble [cast] for the show. I wasn’t sure how I’d operate, but every character has a reason to be there. I just wanted to experience this,” says the Sita Ramam (2022) actor.
In the web space, crime thrillers seem to have more takers than most other genres. “When something is working, everybody jumps onto that bandwagon and then, somebody has to come and break that clutter. That’s just traditionally our work. I think my debut is coming at a good time, because this is a crime thriller that doesn’t take itself too seriously,” he says.
Another widely discussed topic these days is the need for censorship on OTT, given the kind of explicit content put out. The actor shares his take: “Sometimes, I do feel that you don’t need to use foul language or show so much violence. When the medium dropped, it was so new and people were just taking the freedom of trying and exploring. The audience’s tastes correct itself and change with whatever the medium will shift to.”
Having done numerous Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi projects, the 37-year-old says he is open to exploring new languages and industries, including Kannada. “I kept going with what was being offered to me. I’m very open to doing a Kannada film as well. I love exploring new languages. My dad (actor Mammootty) has done Kannada films, too. So when the right film comes along, I’m ready. In fact, Bengaluru is like home to me as my sister stays here and some of my closest friends live here, too,” he signs off.
