It's been 9 years since a Mollywood actor who has created his fanbase all over India through his memorable characters and charm . Let's take a look at some of his versatile characters.
This year Dulquer Salmaan completed nine years since his first appearance. What made it stand out even more was that the actor picked out for a below-the-radar debut when he started his career with "Second Show" in 2011 and now he has movies lined up in four languages - Salute and Kurup in Malayalam, Hey Sinamika in Tamil, Hanu Raghavapudi directorial in Telugu and R Balki's thriller in Hindi. His star appeal and ever-expanding fanbase have a lot to do with the characters he plays, something that he has often said he carefully picks so that years later when he looks back, he has a filmography studded with varied roles.
Having completed close to 30 movies, we pick nine roles of Dulquer that take the audience through nine different emotions.
1. 'Adhi' from O Kadhal Kanmani
Being a romantic hero in a Mani Ratnam film is still a dream project for any actor in the Indian film industry, and the character Mani Ratnam gives for an actor stays in the heart of audience forever. As Adhi, Dulquer brought a seductive, youthful vibe that people continue to associate with his romantic characters.
OK Kanmani is available on ZEE5, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar and Netflix
2. 'Johns Isaac' from ABCD: American Born Confused Desi
As the most apathetic of youth, Dulquer brilliantly portrayed Johns, an American Malayali, who is forced to live in Kerala after his parents cut off the financial dependence. Dulquer lends a comic believability to the dillema of Johns and his buddy Korah. With the movie, he also proved that he can pull off comedy with the same ease as his previous thrillers.
ABCD is available on Disney+ Hotstar
3. 'Faizi' from Ustad Hotel
This was the character of Dulquer Salman that no one could ever forget. Director Anwar Rasheed's Ustad Hotel, which is scripted by Anjali Menon, still remains one of the best characters he played till now. Ustad hotel is not just about the soulful relationship between Faizi and his grandfather Kareem. But what every audience was truly moved by is how Faizi felt while seeing people struggle for food, and it's this compassion that changes him and makes him realise what's important.
Ustad Hotel is available on Disney+ Hotstar
4. 'Siddharth' from Kali
Siddharth, a youngster with anger management issues, is a volcano that is ever ready to erupt. While Dulquer plays an angry young man with relative ease, it's in those scenes that have him show restraint where he truly shines, adding layers of suspense in the already tense film by Samir Thahir.
Kali is available on Disney+ Hotstar
5. 'Aji' from Comrade in America
This was not an easy pick, but Aji narrowly edged out Kassi from Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi and Nikhil Khoda from The Zoya Factor. It takes resolve and tenacity to travel across continents and Aji ventures into unfamiliar territory to be with the one he loves. He finds strength in his ideals, which however are shaken up over the course of the journey. But it takes true courage to realign his beliefs and do what is right even when the endgame might not have worked in his favour.
CIA is available on Netflix
6. 'Shiva' from Solo's World of Siva
Each character of Bejoy Nambiar's Solo shows off the various faces of Dulquer the actor, but none was more hard-hitting than the story of Shiva, a gangster. For the audience, Shiva's story was about revenge, but it also reflected the pervading fear experienced by his family and the final scene mirrors the anguish that haunts Shiva.
Solo is available on JioCinema, SunNxt and Netflix
7. 'Avinash' from Karwaan
For Dulquer's Avinash Rajpurohit in Karwaan, the road trip is about getting closure and finding some peace in his unsatisfied personal and professional life. The movie, which marked DQ's debut Bollywood film, also had him in his most different avatar yet in a subdued and subtle performance that the dark comedy demanded.
Karwaan is available on Amazon Prime Video
8. 'Gemini Ganesan' from Mahanadi
Although this was not a lead character in this film, 'Gemini Ganesan' in Nag Ashwin's Mahanati, Dulquer once again experimented with a role that starts off as endearing but soon takes a rude route, driven by jealousy and malice towards the one he loved.
Mahanati is available on Amazon Prime Video and YuppTv
Charlie was a sensation for any youth that loves to travel, this character became soo inspirational that the youth changed the way they see the world.As a free-spirited traveller, Dulquer plays the titular character with a swagger and charisma you would associate to characters from a fairy tale. Charlie was a breath of fresh air and it's the actor's natural charm that makes it stand out from the rest of his roles. Little wonder then that Charlie also fetched him his first Kerala State Award for Best Actor.
Charlie is available on Amazon Prime Video, ZEE5, SunNxt and Vi Movies.
1. Black Friday
2. Aamir
3. Nayattu
4. Talvar
5. Parinda