Dulquer Salmaan’s fame no longer hinges on his father Mammootty’s superstardom. In fact, he has not only made a name for himself but is also one of the most popular Malayalam actors across the country, having worked in various other languages as well. Now, as he gears up for the release of director Nahas Hidhayath’s I’m Game, his 40th film as a lead actor, his fans are as excited as ever.

Dulquer made his debut 14 years ago in director Srinath Rajendran’s Second Show (2012). Although it’s essentially a gangster film, Second Show wasn’t a typical commercial actioner. In fact, it reflected the era’s emerging aesthetics and narrative sensibilities, marked by an unfiltered portrayal of the moral and social complexities of both people and society at large. Works in this category were broadly referred to as “new generation films” at the time, and Second Show is regarded as one of them.

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However, did you know that Dulquer Salmaan was supposed to make his debut a few years earlier? In fact, a film widely regarded as one of the few that ushered in a new era in Malayalam cinema — and eventually paved the way for the “new generation” film movement — was supposed to be the actor’s launchpad. Unfortunately, that did not happen.

Dulquer Salmaan’s missed debut in Shyamaprasad’s Ritu

The movie in question is director Shyamaprasad’s Ritu (2009), which, along with films such as Passenger (2009) and Kerala Café (2009), marked the beginning of a paradigm shift in the industry before Traffic (2011) entrenched the film movement. In fact, Shyamaprasad himself revealed this recently.

While addressing the gathering during I’m Game’s pre-release event, Shyamaprasad, who has played a key role in the upcoming action thriller, recalled, “I’ve known Dulquer for a long time. When I was shooting Ore Kadal (2007) with Mammootty in Chennai, Dulquer was young, and he used to come play cricket nearby. I was supposed to cast him in my film Ritu. It was almost there, but it didn’t happen, unfortunately.”

Interestingly, Ritu marked the debut of a handful of youngsters — Asif Ali, Rima Kallingal, Nishan, and Vinay Forrt — who eventually established themselves in the industry.

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Why Dulquer Salmaan took on I’m Game

During the pre-release event, Dulquer Salmaan also revealed what prompted him to take up I’m Game. “Some time back, I made a decision that I would attempt roles I am most afraid of from now on. If it feels familiar, I might take it lightly. Now, when I hear a script and it makes me think, ‘How will I do this?’ I take it on. When I heard I’m Game’s narration, I got scared, thinking about how I would pull it off.”

Discussing the action thriller, he maintained that Antony Varghese Pepe is “the true hero of I’m Game.” Dulquer added, “He is like my brother and came to work in the movie as soon as I called.”

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He also praised Kayadu Lohar for her performance. “We call Kayadu ‘Dudu’ because we didn’t know how to pronounce her name correctly. As Mysskin sir said, being pretty might be a disadvantage for her, as people might think she’s too pretty for roles. But she is a strong performer as well.”

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Describing I’m Game as Nahas Hidhayath’s “most ambitious film,” Dulquer Salmaan said, “This is the first script he ever wrote.” He added, “This film is an absolute Onasadya (Onam feast). It has all the ingredients. He’s cooked it with great effort.”

The action thriller will hit the screens worldwide on Thursday, September 3.