MAGNIFICENT Malayalam movie star Dulquer Salmaan has made a mark in different languages since making a winning debut in 2012. This week he will turn a year older on July 28 and celebrate his 35th birthday.
Eastern Eye decided to mark the occasion by preparing a watchlist of his top 10 movies, presented in chronological order.
Second Show (2012): The actor made an award-winning film debut with this Malayalam language drama. He plays a young man who gets caught up in a complicated crime web and can’t find a way out. The actiondrama features a strong debut performance from Salmaan, which was his first step towards following in his famous father Mammootty’s footsteps towards stardom.
Ustad Hotel (2012): The talented actor followed up his winning debut with this starmaking lead performance in the Malayalam language drama set around a hotel which is given a new lease of life by a young man forced to work there. The engaging film ultimately puts across an important social message and was rewarded with three prestigious National Awards, along with a host of other honours.
Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi (2013): The story of two friends who take a trip across country on their motorbikes has become a cult classic and inspired many to explore the open road. Theyhave various adventures on their travels in this beautifully shot movie and meet colourful characters along the way, including dangerous bandits. Both go on a personal journey during the life-changing trip in a movie with a strong message.
O Kadhal Kanmani (2015): The actor teamed up with master filmmaker Mani Ratnam for this romantic drama which saw him star opposite acclaimed actress Nithya Menen. The forward-thinking story revolves around a couple who decide to live together without getting married and what eventually starts to fracture their relationship. The hit Tamil language film was remade in Bollywood as OK Jaanu two years later.
Charlie (2015): The multi-award-winning Malayalam language romantic adventure was such a success that it would later be remade in Marathi (Deva) and Tamil (Maara). The inventive story revolves around a woman who goes on the trail of an artist after finding his sketches and discovers different ways in which he touched people’s lives. It isn’t long before she is drawn towards this mysterious figure.
Comrade in America (2017): The multi-layered Malayalam language action adventure received great reviews when it released. The story revolves around a strong-minded man who travels illegally to the USA to reconnect with a lost love who is getting married and along the way he has some unexpected adventures. The unpredictability of the lead character played by Salmaan connected with audiences strongly.
Karwaan(2018): The south Indian superstar made a low-key Bollywood debut with this underrated road movie, which deserves a lot more credit than it perhaps get. The film sees three unconnected individuals who transport a dead body across country and go on personal journeys of discovery. The film features a great supporting role from late actor Irrfan Khan.
Mahanati (2018): The actor made his Telugu language debut in this big budget biographical drama based on the life of actress Savitri. Salmaan takes on the challenging supporting role of legendary Indian actor Gemini Ganesan in this big ensemble movie, which received rave reviews upon release and won a whole load of awards.
Kammattippaadam (2016): Bollywood director Anurag Kashyap described the Malayalam language action-drama as one of the best gangster/brotherhood films to come out of India. The story revolves around a reformed man with a dark past who is drawn back into the underbelly of a criminal network. The brilliantly directed film features a pitch perfect performance by Salmaan as the man torn between the past and present.
Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal (2020): The Tamil language film is about two technology-smart con artists who fall in love with women who may not be all they seem. The twist-laden story of individuals on the wrong side of the law, who must team up, offers plenty of surprises and features strong performances, led by Dulquer Salmaan. With more big movies on the way, the versatile star will continue to entertain audiences in different languages with his impressive range as an actor
