Love is the main ingredient in my acting: Dulquer Salmaan

Q: Other than the story, what elements do you bring to a movie that make it big?

Dulquer: I have always focused on the story. If I love the story and the character, that love plays an important factor. It's like why a mother's cooking is so tasty, because she puts love into it. Why are some chefs better than others? Because there’s love in their food. Similarly, when we make movies, the Director of Photography (DoP) has to put love into the visuals, the actors have to bring love to their performances, and the director has to bring love to the storytelling. Then, there's some magic. The story must also have original, inspired writing—I don’t like remakes. I don’t like adapting stories from foreign languages, like French or Spanish. Once, I got conned into a project. I remember sitting with Unnimukundan, discussing when we were filming Vikramaditya. He told me, “Bro, I heard a great story, but the guy narrating it doesn’t seem right for the film. I don't think they can make it.” When I asked for details, it turned out we were hearing the same story that was being pitched by two different teams—both based on a foreign language film. Unni found the original, and I luckily avoided the remake (laughs). Finding truly original, inspired writing is always a challenge.

Q: Do you have any strategies for portraying characters in your movies?

Dulquer: As an actor, I don’t overcomplicate things. If you hear a character like Lucky Bhaskar, you may have a certain image in mind, like the setting, the bank, the environment. But when you get to the sets, it’s even more beautiful and believable. So, I don’t think I need to act too much, I just have to believe in the character. I have to believe that I am Bhaskar.

Q: Not many South Indian actors have ventured into series in the North like you have. What’s your approach?

Dulquer: I identify with this generation that wants to experience everything in life. That's how I approached Kalki 2898 AD, I was shooting for Seetha Ramam and just passed by the sets, asking Nagi if I could be part of it. I wanted to experience it. Guns and Gulabs was another opportunity for experience.

Q: What kind of genres do you enjoy—action, romance or thriller?

Dulquer: I enjoy doing all kinds of genres, but I’m not sure if I’m good at all of them. For example, I don’t think I’m particularly good at dancing. If you give me a dance movie, I might not do well. I also feel like I need to improve my fight scenes a bit.

Q: Dulquer, you have a certain image. Why do actors always gravitate toward action roles?

Dulquer: That’s part of the general progression for actors. When we start, we do college characters or romance. In my career, I started with coming-of-age stories, then moved to romance and love stories. Over time, you start doing more diverse roles. At some point, as you age, you need to take on all kinds of characters. Action is a natural part of that evolution.

Q: About upcoming movies?

Dulquer: Akasam lo Oka Taara is a very real and grounded story.