It's a great gangster drama with strong friendships: Dulquer Salmaan on King of Kotha

Hyderabad: Dulquer Salman's upcoming pan-India movie `King of Kotha’ is all set to hit the screens on August 24. The film also stars Aishwarya Lekshmi in the female lead role. Directed by Abhilash Joshi, the film is produced by G Studios.

Dulquer Salmaan opens up on dubbing the movie in four languages; Excerpts:

What does the movie title King of Kotha mean?

King of Kotha means King of a town in Malayalam. The film plot revolves around a fictional town.

Is this your first gangster movie?

This is the first time I'm doing a gangster movie. It's the biggest movie I've worked on in terms of scale. It has all the commercial elements like songs, action sequences, and football. Trying my hand at such a movie is quite refreshing.

What aspects of this film attracted you the most?

I liked the story. It's a great gangster drama with strong friendships. Every character in this movie contributes to the narrative. I enjoy human drama and conflicts, and this film has them beautifully integrated. It turned out well in this regard. There are many elements that the audience will appreciate. The story has two periods.

After Sita Ram, have you completely embraced the lover boy image? How did you feel about doing such a gangster film?

I'll often recognize myself as a lover boy (laughs) based on the stories I choose to portray. But I won't do just love stories and characters. Along with the audience, I would also like to explore roles that I appreciate. Shifting from there, doing roles that are somewhat different, is exciting.

Did you do the dubbing yourself?

Yes, I dubbed Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Hindi. Now, I even do dubbing for dubbing artists (laughs).

Can you tell us about your experiences with dubbing?

I enjoy languages. Each language has a certain charm. Every word and every sound expresses an emotion or anxiety uniquely. Speaking each language is a bit challenging, but in dubbing, delivering each line and understanding its meaning brings me a lot of joy. I've done the Guns And Gulaabs series in five languages. I've done the dubbing for each language myself. Dubbing allows me to speak in various languages. It's an opportunity I'm grateful for. I thoroughly enjoy this process

Gangster movies have been coming for a while now, right? How different is this movie?

This is like my kind of Gang Star movie. It has a good story, a unique original story. Good music, star cast action, and all commercial elements are there.

Is this your dream project?

This movie director is my friend. I have been wanting to make a film with him for a long time. Finally, this story came up. I generally make three movies a year. But for this one movie, we worked hard almost for a year. We made sure to give the audience a great cinematic experience. We presented this movie in a way that the audience would come to the theaters and watch it without fail.

Does football have prominence in this movie?

Football sequences in this movie will be very interesting. Choreographer Drue has wonderfully designed the situations of that sport. Visually, it looks very fresh.

What is the role of Aishwarya Lekshmi?

Aishwarya Lekshmi has made great films and has a special fan following. She is a talented actress and her character in this movie is crucial. There is a good love track in this movie. It's enjoyable for the audience.

In terms of technical aspects, what style does the movie adopt?

We've tried our best to give the best. Cinematographer Nimesh Ravi has done a great job after working on Kurup. Jakes Bejoy has given good music. Brilliant artwork has been done with period cinema in mind. Visuals bring a new experience. We've put our best efforts into making a good film and presenting it in a way that the audience should enjoy an exceptional cinematic experience.

After Sita Ramam, do you feel like making more Telugu movies?

I always wanted to make movies in Telugu. Currently, I am making a film under the director of Venu Atlauri.

You have worked with senior directors like Maniratnam and Balki. So, what changes do you feel when working with new directors?

I love to work with all directors and enjoy it. Sometimes, new directors come up with very unique ideas. They think of things that experienced directors might not consider. Experienced directors bring their experience to the table and contribute many things. When working with new directors, I will focus on selecting a unique story. If the material is strong, it will automatically result in a good movie.

What is the reason behind your involvement in production?

After starting to do films in Malayalam, I faced some challenges. The situation in which I have to protect my films has led me to become a producer. Due to various reasons, some producers did not fulfill the budget or released films improperly, causing losses. To save movies and release them properly, I decided to step into production. If I want to make a good film, I will take care of it, make it on time, and release it properly.

Will you also produce films in Telugu?

Here there are a lot of good producers. However, if there is a need for support, then I will surely do. I'm currently working on 'Kant' with Rana. Lucky Bhaskar and Sithara Entertainments are bankrolling the film. They are very good producers. Also, there is no need to say about Vyjayanthi movies. Ashwini Dhatt Sir and Swapna are more experienced than me. They suggest many things from their experience. As a producer, I will follow their advice and try to implement many things in Malayalam.

Are you working on Kalki 2898 AD?

I'm avoiding questions on Kalki 2898 AD(laughs). They should talk about the film first. Then I'll tell. However, I can say that the Indian cinema landscape will change with Kalki 2898 AD. So far, I've seen and heard a lot of movies, but no one has made such a movie.