Exclusive! Dulquer Salmaan: I am not somebody who wants to project any kind of image that is built

With his last release Seetha Ramam (or Sita Ramam), Dulquer Salmaan got the whole nation pining for a love story as beautiful and epic as his in the movie. And now, for his upcoming Hindi outing, the Malayalam film star has pivoted from all things conventional and is all set to show an unhinged side to his on-screen persona.

During the close-door interaction with the media, Dulquer, who confesses to always being interested in working with director R Balki, told us that the dark side of film criticism does not affect his performance, and that his audience are always there to give him 'very honest feedback'.

"For me personally, I mean these are things that I hjave heard of. I don't know how much it genuinely affects my performance in a film or how my film does. I cannot really imagine calling somebody and be like 'Hey, I am sending you some gifts, right some good things about me.' Because I wouldn't have earned it, you know. I am not somebody who wants to project any kind of image that's built or something like that. And more than anything else, I think the audience give me very honest feedback and that's what I kind of work for (smiles!)" Dulquer Salmaan told us. 

When we asked R Balki for his two bits on the topic, he was quick to say, "My films don't have the budgets to give out such kind of gifts (laughs!) Anyway, but, this is not that. See, any profession in the world—be it an artiste, acting, this industry, be it the police, critics, media, everywhere—there are good people and then there are bad people in every profession. Yes, there are a lot of bad things that do happen. People without ethics and morals exist in every profession that you kind of take. And I think it is one of those things. And if you want to know if its true or not, these are anecdotal and this is a story. Of course, there will be an element of truth somewhere. But, have I ever had any such personal experience? I can never tell you that (smiles!)"

For the unversed, Chup: Revenge of the Artist is a psychological thriller written and directed by renowned filmmaker R. Balki, who is known for his films like Paa, Cheeni Kum, and Pad Man. The film, which is described as an ode to the legendary Indian filmmaker Guru Dutt, features performances from Dulquer Salmaan, Shreya Dhanwanthary, and Sunny Deol in prominent roles.

It is slated to release in theatres on September 23, 2022.