Dulquer Salmaan Almost Launched With ‘Ritu’ Before ‘Second Show’, Shyamaprasad Reveals How Actor’s Debut Plan Failed |
Dulquer Salmaan has built a career that stands firmly on its own, going beyond the shadow of his superstar father Mammootty to become one of the most recognizable names in Malayalam cinema across India.
However, his journey as an actor could have started several years earlier than it finally did.As Dulquer gears up for the world premiere of his upcoming film ‘I’m Game’, a revelation by filmmaker Shyamaprasad has brought the spotlight back to an interesting piece from the actor’s early career. The director revealed that Dulquer was once considered for his 2009 film ‘Ritu’, a project that played an important role in the changing landscape of Malayalam cinema.
Dulquer’s debut may have occurred before the Second Show
Dulquer finally made his acting debut with Srinath Rajendran’s ‘Second Show’ in 2012. The gangster drama did not follow the conventional model of a commercial action film and was among the films associated with the emerging new generation wave in Malayalam cinema.However, according to Shyamaprasad, the actor was initially expected to enter the industry through ‘Ritu’, which came three years before ‘Second Show’. The film was part of a group of Malayalam films that helped introduce a different style of storytelling and contributed to the transformation that eventually became more prominent with films like ‘Traffic’.
Shyamaprasad remembers meeting young Dulquer
According to SCREEN, speaking at the pre-release event of ‘I’m Game’, Shyamaprasad recalled his connection with Dulquer from the time he was working with Mammootty on ‘Ore Kadal’.“I have known Dulquer for a long time. When I was filming Ore Kadal (2007) with Mammootty in Chennai, Dulquer was young and used to come and play cricket nearby.
I was supposed to cast him in my film Ritu. “I was almost there, but unfortunately it didn’t happen.”‘Ritu’ eventually introduced audiences to several young artists including Asif Ali, Rima Kallingal, Nishan and Vinay Forrt, many of whom established themselves in Malayalam cinema.
Why Dulquer chose Soy Juego
After more than a decade of career, Dulquer is approaching his 40th film as a lead actor with ‘I’m Game’. At the film’s pre-release event, he explained that his approach to casting roles has changed, particularly when a script pushes him beyond his comfort zone.“Some time ago, I made the decision to try to play the roles I fear most from now on. If it looks familiar, I might take it lightly. Now when I hear a script and it makes me think, ‘How will I do this?’ I assume it. When I heard the narration of Soy Game, I was scared and thought about how I would achieve it.”The actor also credited Antony Varghese Pepe for playing a crucial role in the project and described him as “the real hero of I’m Game.”“He is like my brother and he came to work on the film as soon as I called him,” Dulquer said.
Praise from Dulquer
Dulquer also had words of gratitude for Kayadu Lohar, who is part of the film’s cast. She highlighted her acting skills while talking about the challenges that can come from being perceived primarily for appearance.“We called Kayadu ‘Dudu’ because we didn’t know how to pronounce her name correctly. As Mr Mysskin said, being pretty could be a disadvantage for her as people might think she is too pretty for the roles.
But she is also a great performer.”The actor described director Nahas Hidhayath’s film as his “most ambitious film” and revealed that it was the filmmaker’s first script.“This film is an absolute Onasadya (Onam feast). It has all the ingredients. It has been prepared with great effort.”
Dulquer Salmaan’s next release
Directed by Nahas Hidhayath, ‘I’m Game’ is an action thriller that brings together Dulquer Salmaan, Antony Varghese Pepe and Kayadu Lohar. The film is positioned as an ambitious project for the director and marks another challenging role for Dulquer.‘I’m Game’ is scheduled to release worldwide on September 3, 2026. Its OTT platform is yet to be officially announced.
