Dulquer Salmaan Is Out To Conquer Bollywood

Unlike his superstar father, Dulquer Salmaan is out to conquer Bollywood

- Pooja Biraia Jaiswal

Actor Dulquer Salmaan makes it a point to read almost every review of his films. Some matter, most do not. Having spent 10 years across Tollywood, Mollywood, Kollywood and Bollywood, he has learnt to take “unnecessary negative criticism” with a pinch of salt. “Time and experience teach you that. To be secure in your own skin and drown out the noise of hate and envy,” he says. That is why the moment he heard the script of Chup: The Revenge of the Artist, his upcoming film directed by renowned filmmaker R. Balki, he was immediately taken in. Chup, as its trailer suggests, is about a serial killer who murders film critics and leaves a star on their foreheads as his mark of revenge. Salmaan was blown by the originality of the idea and the depth of the narrative. The reason for saying yes to Chup was also personal in a way. There were moments when the amount of “filth” coming his way almost became too much to take. “It is strange... if you are doing well and you grow, there is a certain level of hate that grows with you. They told me you cannot act, you should not be an actor, just quit, and things like that,” says Salmaan. And so, this film, in a way, became a vehicle to vent his anger against the naysayers.