Popular Malayalam star Dulquer Salmaan announces new film ‘Salute’

NEW DELHI: Malayalam actor Dulquer Salmaan has announced a new action-thriller titled Salute to be directed by Rosshan Andrrews that will see him play a cop. Even as theatres remain shut indefinitely, Hindi and south Indian language industries are fast green-lighting future projects.

Son of veteran actor Mammootty, Salmaan first appeared in Srinath Rajendran's Second Show (2012) that saw him make his debut with a bunch of other newcomers. It was followed by Anwar Rasheed's Ustad Hotel (2012), which received the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and was a major success at the box office.

Martin Prakkat's comedy-drama ABCD: American-Born Confused Desi, Amal Neerad's segment Kullante Bharya, in the anthology film 5 Sundarikal, Sameer Thahir’s Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi, Alagappan's romantic drama Pattam Pole and Salalah Mobiles, with Nazriya Nazim were some of his other early roles, most of which proved unsuccessful at the box office.

He broke the jinx with Anjali Menon's ensemble romantic comedy-drama Bangalore Days (2014), which emerged as one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time and was later seen in Mani Ratnam’s Tamil romantic drama O Kadhal Kanmani (2015).

Salmaan next featured in the Telugu film Mahanati, a biopic on actress Savitri, also his Telugu debut.

Apart from appearing in Rajeev Ravi's action drama Kammatipaadam (2016) that garnered much critical acclaim, Salmaan made his Hindi film debut with Karwaan where he starred alongside Irrfan Khan. Salmaan's 2019 projects included the Tamil films Vaan and Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal.

In 2020, his production company Wayfarer films was launched. His first released project as a producer and actor was a family drama Varane Avashyamund where he co-starred alongside Suresh Gopi, Shobana, and Kalyani Priyadarshan. He is slated to star in the upcoming crime-thriller Kurup that also marks his third production venture.