'Dad is number one in the house'

If you modestly enjoy your fame you are not unworthy to rank with the holy” — fame as described by Goethe is hard to come by. However, there are a handful for whom modesty and fame go hand in hand, and young actor Dulquer Salmaan truly fits the bill. It is this approachability on-screen apart from the depth of his performances that has catapulted this Malayalam-Tamil actor to fame in relatively short span of time.

A string of successes in Malayalam and Mani Ratnam’s ‘Oh Kaadal Kanmani’ in Tamil had left him with rave reviews. Fresh on the success of ‘Jomonte Suvisheshangal’, he was in Bengaluru for the opening of Dr Mohammed Rehan Sayeed’s ‘The Heart Center’ for minimal access cardiac surgery. The actor spent time with every smitten fan and the flashing cameras with a broad smile and an amiable demeanour. In a chat with Anupama Ramakrishnan, he talks about his love for life away from the spotlight, his wanderlust nature and how there’s no competition with father and actor Mamootty.
     
Successes have been coming your way all through these years. How does it feel when you look back at your career?

I’ve been taking it, I think, one year at a time. I think of what works I’ve in hand, and so far, it has been good. I’m excited about this year as well.

You have reached the pinnacle of success. At this stage, do you miss, sometimes at least, the personal freedom that you once enjoyed. Or do you relish all the adulation?

No. Honestly speaking I prefer my anonymity. I miss that a little bit — those general things like how I used to come to Bangalore so often with my school friends and all that. But the adulation is not too bad here in Bangalore. In Chennai and Bangalore, I am not recognised as much. It is mostly in Kerala that I receive so much attention. But I do miss the anonymity.

You have once mentioned to me that you love travelling. With life getting busier, do you get the time to travel as much?

We try. At least in summers, we try. I don’t think it is going to happen this year, because I’ve taken up quite a lot of work. But I generally think it is the best thing to do with your time and your money. Any travel — it doesn’t have to be exotic or out of the country, it can be just a weekend getaway — rejuvenates you and gets you back to work refreshed.
 
Since you are here to support the healthcare venture of a family member, tell us how important it is for you. And how aware are youngsters about healthcare these days?

I definitely think this generation of youngsters are a lot more conscious, a lot more healthy in their habits. They are much more informed. If you look worldwide, the trends show that people are worried about what they eat, how they can put in that resistance, how they should exercise and everything else. It’s a good time as people are aware about all these things. For us, it’s always close to us because my brother-in-law is a doctor and healthcare is always something we hear about and which is part of our family priorities.

Is there any personal fitness routine that you have been following...

I try to keep myself fit. Typically when I am doing Malayalam films — because we work such long hours — it’s hard to balance fitness with work. If I don’t get a chance to work out, I play something. But I do try to eat right mostly.

You dad is an acting legend. You are a successful actor. At home, who does the family think is the best actor?

(Laughs) In every field, dad is number one in the house.