Dulquer Salmaan: I loved the screenplay of Sita Ramam, it's unpredictable and very imaginative

Dulquer Salmaan is going all out to promote his next film, Sita Ramam, a period romance that hits theatres on August 5 across Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam langages. The Hanu Raghavapudi directorial depicts him as an army officer, Lieutenant Ram, deputed in Madras regiment in the mid 60s. In a media interaction, he shares that the love for the film, even before its release, has been unprecedented. "I didn't foresee this welcome. I'm grateful for the love of Telugu audiences," he shares.

Sita Ramam is a unique, original story and truly a classic, Dulquer believes. "Such a film hasn't been made before. I loved the screenplay, it's unpredictable and very imaginative. What you've seen in the trailer is only the tip of the iceberg. It's tailormade for the big screen," he adds. At the same time, he feels the need to take a break from love stories after the film and take up something more mature and refreshing.

In the film, Dulquer is an orphan who doesn't hate anything in life. "He's a cheery, optimistic guy and is full of love for the nation." Sita, the role played by his female counterpart, is straight out of a classic novel, he says. "It was a beautifully written part and casting Mrunal for it was a great decision. Watching her on set, I felt no other could've done justice for the part. She is an equally energetic and happy person off the screen too."

The actor is all praise for the film's music by Vishal Chandrasekhar. "When I heard the story, I knew Sita Ramam would have good music. Right as we were shooting for Kaanunna Kalyanam in Kashmir, we realised how magical it would turn out on the screen. It's my favourite from the album. I tried to understand the meaning of every word as we were filming the songs. The background score will be very memorable as well."

Incidentally, both his straight Telugu films, Mahanati and Sita Ramam are backed by the same production house, Vyjayanthi Movies. "Ashwini Dutt, Swapna and the banner are like family to me. I really admire Dutt sir as a person, he's my favourite. He's very optimistic and showers so much love upon his team. He reserves his best story for me always. Hanu did a fantastic job in bringing the story alive onto the big screen," Dulquer states.

A leg injury had forced him to opt out of the promotions for Mahanati. However, while promoting Sita Ramam across Hyderabad, Vizag and Vijayawada, he was genuinely thrilled by the love Telugu audiences have for him. "A few people came to me to tell that they liked Ustaad Hotel a lot. It was only my second film and I was surprised to hear that. Many have watched my films on OTT, I could attribute the connect to that. I feel blessed."

Despite being in the industry only for a decade, the actor, producer has an illustrious filmography spanning over 35 films across multiple industries. Dulquer says the number is quite less in comparison to his counterparts in Malayalam. "Most of my contemporaries do around 12 films a year. There were times when dad had around 30 releases in a single calendar year. I think I need to better my pace (laughs)." 

The Sita Ramam actor finds it frustrating to be addressed as a pan-Indian star in every second story written by the media. "Honestly, the pan-India concept isn't new at all. The films of Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Shah Rukh Khan had crossed barriers many years ago. I don't feel that the so-called 'pan-India cinema' concept is anything new. It's ultimately one film and let us leave it at that." 

Direction is on the cards for Dulquer but he says there's still more time for it. "I honestly want to direct though I don't have the time now. When I direct a film, it'll definitely be out-of-the-box." If not an actor, what would he have been? "Probably an investor because I passed out of a business school? As of now, my priority is to be part of good films that'll make my dad proud. I am the biggest fan of my dad, he's my hero."