Shakespeare once wrote, “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” With most things Shakespeare, his words ring true, even today. However, in the film industry, where everything relies on the power one wields, names can be everything. And what is the first step of this strength? When just your name can bring in the crowds. Of course, many reach this status, and give it their all to hold on to this responsibility, and enjoy the fruits of this struggle. But there is one other invisible step that is actually very powerful. And that step is when the protagonist’s character becomes the name of the film. It acts as a calling card of sorts. It announces to the world that you are an actor who can bring in the crowds just by your name, and your character’s name. That’s why Dulquer Salmaan’s journey in Telugu cinema is best reflected through the titles of his films. Historically, actors playing titular roles didn't happen to everyone immediately. Take, for instance, Kamal Haasan. It took the actor close to a 100 films spanning multiple languages before he played the titular role in a film. The same happened with Amitabh Bachchan in Don, Rajinikanth with its Tamil remake, Billa, and Mohanlal with its Malayalam remake, Shobhraj. In Malayalam, Mammootty played the leading role for over a decade before he gave his seminal hit, New Delhi, and soon followed it up with the super successful cult classic, Manu Uncle. These megastars earned their stripes, and then went ahead to flaunt their stardom with such titles. However, that isn’t the case nowadays with films being titled after its protagonist irrespective of the actor’s stature. But still, it is an interesting yardstick to establish an actor’s stardom, and also a reflection of how much the actor is shouldering the film. ALSO READ | Lucky Baskhar movie review: A terrific Dulquer Salmaan powers this brilliant Venky Atluri film In a recent media interaction, Dulquer Salmaan said, “When I started out in Malayalam, I knew I’d do films in Tamil. After Ustaad Hotel, I got offers from Hindi, so I knew that was on the cards. Telugu cinema came out of nowhere.” And it is interesting how, it is Telugu cinema that has given him one blockbuster after another, and his latest, Lucky Baskhar is the crown jewel of a golden run. But it is beautiful how he crafted this journey in Telugu. It was in his sixth year as an actor that Dulquer Salmaan made his debut in Telugu and Hindi with Mahanati and Karwaan, respectively. Till then, Dulquer had a rather mixed bag with the box-office results of his Malayalam films. But the first time, an entire film was carried on his shoulders, right from the title, was the 2015 blockbuster Charlie. In fact, it launched Dulquer into the big leagues. Everything about the character, right from the looks to his dialogues and the attire was celebrated, and it was befitting that Charlie marked the first time Dulquer was playing the titular role. Of course, he did Vikramadithyan before this, but there he was sharing the responsibilities. Here, it was just DQ. Now, let’s look at how his titles have evolved in Telugu to understand if it was truly serendipity or if it reflected Dulquer’s impeccable choices in the language. When Dulquer made his debut in Telugu with Mahanati, he was playing one of the icons of Tamil cinema, Gemini Ganesan. Of course, his relationship with Keerthy Suresh’s Savithri was an integral part of the film. But Mahanati wasn’t about Gemini. It was very much about Savithri, and that is why the film was called Mahanati. But the film gave him a much-needed calling card in the industry. Keerthy took home the plaudits, but people also remembered Dulquer as Gemini. Phase 1 of entering the minds of a new set of audience was complete. Then, four years later, he returned to Telugu with yet another period romance. This time, he wasn’t just in the huge shadows of his co-star’s role. Now, he was an equal player in the film. It might have been just his second Telugu film, but he was starring alongside an actor, who was making her debut in the language. Dulquer played the Ram to Mrunal Thakur’s Sita, and Sita Ramam, which was just released after the nation felt relaxed after the lockdown, gripped the collective consciousness of many. Vishal Chandrasekhar’s music, Hanu Raghavapudi’s writing and direction, and of course, the magnetic presence of Dulquer and Mrunal ensured that Sita Ramam became one of the highest grossing Indian films, and it proved to the country that a pan-Indian film doesn’t necessarily have to be heavy on action and violence. A simple romance about two old souls would do the trick too. With Sita Ramam, Dulquer shared the titular responsibility with Mrunal, and ensured phase 2 of establishing his presence in the minds of an audience that was warming up to him. ALSO READ: Lucky Baskhar box office collection Day 3: Dulquer Salmaan’s golden run in Telugu continues, earns Rs 39.9 crore globally Two years after Sita Ramam, Dulquer, who faced one of the biggest setbacks of his career in King of Kotha, needed something special. Something that would prove to the world that he was indeed in the game. And he got lucky with… Lucky Baskhar. The Venky Atluri film was expected to be a comeback for Dulquer, but not many anticipated the scale of its success. The film has become critically and commercially successful, and marked Dulquer’s return to form. But more importantly, the movie was mounted on the shoulders of the actor who did Sita Ramam and Mahanati. It was a litmus test for Dulquer in Telugu cinema. Third time was also the charm for the actor as people thronged to the theatres to see him in the titular role in Lucky Baskhar. Mahanati was Savithri’s story. Sita Ramam was a romance that was bolstered by the presence of both Dulquer and Mrunal. However, Lucky Baskhar was all about him. He was shouldering the titular responsibility all alone. With Lucky Baskhar, Dulquer entered the all-important phase 3 and fortified his place in the minds of the Telugu audience that have completely accepted him as their own. What’s in a name? Well… if you are lucky and smart enough… Everything.
