Dulquer Salmaan reveals Mammootty’s reaction to seeing Lucky Baskhar director Venky Atluri: ‘Nobody will believe this boy directed the film’

Dulquer Salmaan is currently on cloud nine as his latest film, the period crime drama Lucky Baskhar, has emerged as a major hit despite facing stiff competition from all sides, owing to the release of mammoth films like Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, Amaran and Singham Again. This marks the Malayalam actor’s third Telugu-language film, solidifying his reputation as a bankable star in Tollywood, following the blockbuster successes of Mahanati (2018) and Sita Ramam (2022). Directed by Venky Atluri, Lucky Baskhar also stars Meenakshi Chaudhary, Ayesha Khan, Hyper Aadi and P Sai Kumar in key roles.

Recently, the film’s team hosted a success party to celebrate Lucky Baskhar and honour the dedication of everyone involved. At the event, Dulquer praised Venky and shared his father and legendary Malayalam actor Mammootty’s reaction upon seeing the director for the first time. “Venky looks like this little boy. My dad’s like, ‘nobody will believe that this boy directed the film.’ When you see Venky, he doesn’t look like a director. I think he will have to wear a hat or get a director’s chair or do some cliche thing (to look like a filmmaker),” Dulquer quipped.

Only In Express | Lucky Baskhar ushers in Dulquer Salmaan’s name in lights in Telugu cinema

Story continues below this ad

According to the film’s team, Lucky Baskhar, which premiered on Thursday, has so far earned Rs 55.40 crore worldwide. On Sunday alone, it grossed Rs 2.60 crore in Dulquer’s home state of Kerala. Since its release, the film has consistently pulled in over Rs 2 crore daily in the state. Initially opening in 175 screens across the state, Lucky Baskhar expanded to 240 screens over the weekend due to strong performance.

In his review of the movie, SCREEN’s Avinash Ramachandran wrote, “Venky Atluri spins a fascinating tale involving banking, and scams, and Dulquer Salmaan ensures everything sails smoothly despite hitting a few road bumps.”