Kaantha: Did Dulquer Salmaan almost have a fallout with Rana Daggubati? ‘Are we gonna get legal on each other'

Dulquer Salmaan is all pumped for his next big release after the hit Telugu movie Lucky Baskhar. The upcoming film, titled Kaantha is a Tamil period film. Dulquer is also jointly producing the film with Telugu star Rana Daggubati but recently remarked about how they got down to actual ‘producer talks’ as the period film was getting delayed.

Dulquer Salmaan on Rana Daggubati

During a recent conversation with The Hollywood Reporter India, Dulquer Salmaan said that how he first planned to shoot Kaantha along with Lucky Baskhar, another period film. He even did simultaneous look test with both directors present, but Kaantha never took off even though Lucky Baskhar was released in 2024 and became a hit. As Kaantha kept getting pushed, he considered moving on to the next project.

“This has been so many years in the making. This is never gonna get off the ground. And then we got into formal producer talks - 'You said this date, you committed'... and I was like, Are we gonna get legal on each other?” recounted Dulquer as both the stars burst out laughing.

But they quickly pointed out it did not lead to any untoward outcome as Rana quipped that the “next day there was more love”. Dulquer said that there has been no looking back since.

Kaantha release

Dulquer Salmaan’s upcoming film Kaantha will release in theatres on November 14, 2025. Directed by Selvamani Selvaraj, the film also features Rana Daggubati, along with Samuthirakani and Bhagyashri Borse in other key roles.

Set during the 1950s Madras, the film is said to be based on MK Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, often hailed as the first superstar of Tamil cinema. The Kaantha trailer is already out, impressing the fans.

Also read: Kaantha: Who is MK Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, Dulquer Salmaan’s role model, Tamil cinema’s first superstar whose film ran for three years 

Lucky Baskhar, on the other hand, was set during the early 1990s, chronicling the life of a middle-class bank employee who gets engaged in a financial scam after he is looked over for a promotion. Dulquer was last seen in a cameo appearance in Malayalam blockbuster hit Lokah Chapter 1 Chandra, which was also produced by him.

FAQs

Q. Is Kaantha a biopic?

A. Kaantha has not been explicitly mentioned to be a biopic, but based on the life of Tamil superstar MK Thyagaraja Bhagavathar.

Q. What is Kaantha about?

A. Kaantha is a period Tamil-Telugu bilingual film set in 1950s Madras, about the ego clash between an actor and director on the sets of a film.

Q. Does dq have 100 crore movies?

A. DQ's movie Lucky Baskhar, in which he played the lead role, had grossed over Rs 100 crore, as per trade trackers. His recent production venture Lokah Chapter 1 Chandra, starring Kalyani Priyadarshan, had amassed over Rs 300 crore