Dulquer Salmaan says he won’t even get a chair on Bollywood sets, was pushed around: ‘Unless you come in a big car…’

Actor Dulquer Salmaan revealed he was 'pushed around' on Hindi film sets and would not get even a chair to sit. He had to then create the illusion of being a big star, which he called sad.

Dulquer Salmaan talks about his early days in the Hindi film industry.

Actor Dulquer Salmaan has worked across multiple film industries, including Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi cinema. However, the actor, who made his Bollywood debut with the 2018 film Karwaan, did not have the smoothest experience in the Hindi industry during the early phase of his career. In a recent The Hollywood Reporter India roundtable, Dulquer revealed that he was ‘pushed around’ on Hindi film sets initially, adding that the sheer size of the industry may have contributed to such behaviour where you are respected only if you are seen ‘as a big star’. He called the state of affairs ‘sad’.

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During the candid chat, he revealed that the Bollywood industry demands artistes to create a ‘perception’ of being a huge star, with an entourage and big cars. “When I did Hindi films here, my two people that I would come with, we would just get pushed around on sets. I had to create this illusion of being this big star, otherwise I wouldn’t find a chair to sit on,” he said.

The actor added, “I wouldn’t find a place to see behind the monitor, there were so many people. So, it’s all about perception. Apparently, if you come in some fancy car with a lot of people, then the perception is that he is a star. It’s sad, that’s not the way my energy should go, right?” Bollywood has been getting bad press for stars’ massive entourages where each stars comes with the team of 10-15 people and often demands 5-6 vanity vans. Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta had earlier revealed about the entourage issue, “I know certain actors who have six makeup vans. It’s mandatory. The first van is his personal space. This is real; I’m very serious. Wahan saab nanga baithte hain (Sir sits naked in that van). Then, next to that is saab’s other van, wahan pe saab makeup and hair karte hain (There, sir has his makeup and hair done). Uske baaju mein is the van jahan saab meetings karte hain (In the van next to that, sir has his meetings).”

Actor Piyush Mishra also told Curly Takes, “Their entourage is so big. Almost 8-9 people will come with them, they will walk with at least 12 bodyguards but why do you need these many bodyguards? You are a single person. Who is coming to kill you?”

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Dulquer Salmaan also suggested that the size of the industry could be a major factor influencing such situations. “I just couldn’t understand. I don’t want to be mean to any industry, but I guess it’s a cultural thing. Me and Rana (Daggubati) were discussing that the size of the Hindi industry is so massive – the number of theatres, markets, and so many states speak the language and watch those films. We have just 1-2 states and we think like we are the big deal. Maybe, the size of the industry influences things,” he shared.

On the work front, Dulquer Salmaan was last seen in the Tamil period drama Kaantha. It is set to release on Netflix on December 12. The actor will next feature in the Malayalam film titled I’m Game.

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