An honest officer and devoted family man, played by Dulquer Salmaan, ends up being a chaos agent; whilst a reluctant cartel heir has an identity crisis. In a sleepy town, a simple-minded mechanic struggles to emerge out of his dead gangster father’s shadow in a mission to win over the love of his life. Two teenagers experience their first love and first heartbreak, as all the characters see their worlds colliding spectacularly in this first-of-its-kind genre mashup pulp, gangster-comedy. Guns and Gulaabs is a delightful crossover between Bollywood and South cinema’s best talents…

Masala: Could you tell us more about your upcoming film, Guns and Gulaabs? How long did it take to shoot?

Dulquer Salmaan: We shot it, mostly last year. I think we wrapped up by April 2022. I shot Chup and Guns and Gulaabs between Sita Raman because that went on for 14 months. So these are the two projects I added in between. And then I think post-shooting has been a longer process with Netflix. I’ve dubbed it in five languages in my own voice. It’s a fun, gangster comedy, it’s got this amazing cast and it is set in a fictional town. It’s in a period drama about 89 and 1990.

Masala: Which language are you most excited for Guns & Gulaabs to come out in?

Dulquer Salmaan: Whatever the original language is always the best because it’s conceived and shot in that language. So most of the lines and the setups or everything work better in the original language, which for Guns & Gulaabs is Hindi. Though I think we’ve done a pretty good job in the dubbing in most of the others as well!

Masala: How was the experience shooting with Rajkumar Rao? That must have been quite different, right?

Dulquer Salmaan: It was fun! So we have met before, we were both on the same interview panel at the Mumbai Film Festival, I think in around 2017, or 18. We got along really well, with great camaraderie. And I don’t think either of us imagined that we’d come together for a project. So that was fun. I’ve always liked his movie choices and enjoyed him as an actor. He’s had a great career graph. He’s always doing interesting films. He’s a stellar actor. And it was just nice for all of us to come together. Be it Raj (Rajkumar Rao) or Gulshan (Deviah), Adarsh (Gourav), each and every cast member, are huge talents, and I just enjoyed the process of kind of being around that energy and sort of bouncing off of them and their talent.

Masala: Is there anything in particular you picked up from them, any life lesson or any acting skill or anything that you would want to take from one of these actors?

Dulquer Salmaan: Raj and DK as directors, even though their writing is so strong — still give people headroom to kind of improvise or make suggestions. They are always searching for magic that happens on set, when we shoot, as opposed to just what’s on paper. I like it when filmmakers do that because then we have a little wiggle room to play around. Because a lot of the time, irrespective of what the material is on the paper, when you’re kind of there, in the frame in the scene, and you are, believing at that moment, there are certain things that you might want to do. You might want to react to certain things you might want to punch in. So I think that was great.

Masala: Did you actually exclusively learn Hindi when you began as an actor just for films, or did you converse in Hindi from before?

Dulquer Salmaan: It was my second language in school. Plus, I lived my college days, 4 or 5 years in America, it was the one common language all of us Indians would speak. We’re all from different states, but the one binding Indian language is Hindi. I lived in Dubai for 3 years and you learn Hindi to get around in Dubai. And also, when I was working in construction there were people from India and Bangladesh and Pakistan and all of these countries. And again, the binding language would be Hindi. I lived in Bombay for almost six, seven months, and I was in acting school. So it is something I’m very comfortable with.

Masala: The audience, the general public often over-hypes/treats actors and actresses like torchbearers of idealism, do you think this is normal?

Dulquer Salmaan: I mean, to each his own. I think in Bollywood, it’s a sort of different ballgame. There’s so much like, there are events all the time, there’s the old paparazzi culture, there’s a lot of red carpet things. Bombay is the melting pot in India of fashion, cinema and everything is kind of interlinked. Therefore, I think there’s a lot more pressure here to be constantly well-turned out and, and on point. Your fashion is being criticized or being read into and scored. But where I come from down south, it’s not so hectic. We don’t have a lot of that happening. So I think it’s easier. I understand from the actor’s side too, I understand the pressures of constantly getting that right. And sometimes you, you get brickbats for like, maybe wearing the wrong outfit, or whatever it is how you turned out in public. But after all it is a form of entertainment for the audience. Maybe they’re influenced by the West — I think it works both ways. They both feed off each other.

Masala: Do you think that actors subconsciously end up understanding what the audience wants out of them and incorporating that in maybe your next press visit? Or maybe the way you’re promoting it next time? Do you actually take their feedback sometimes?

Dulquer Salmaan: I think that is a learning curve. I think the more you interact, the more you are better prepared. You’re better equipped. I think for complete newcomers, it might be a big blip. There’s so much happening, so much being thrown at you. And a lot of times they’re waiting for you to kind of put one foot wrong, and say something, you know, off tone. But I think with time we can learn to deal with it, or at least handle it. But again, it’s something now that’s a part and parcel of the job. So you adapt I guess.

Masala: Do you ever just feel like you or any other actor, as a matter of fact, that you joined cinema because you like acting for the craft and for the skill that you have, and not for the jazz that comes along with it? Can you ever get free of that, or is it a package deal?

Dulquer Salmaan: I mean, this is something that is true for most of us actors, I think we’re happiest while working. So at least I speak for myself, I’m happiest on a film set. A lot of the times when I’m promoting or doing brand shoots and things like that I miss being on a film set, I miss being in character — that’s where I’m happiest. But it’s also now become part of the whole filmmaking process. You also have to kind of pitch your film to the audience. How do you get them to come and watch it? You do have to kind of go out there and teach it to them, you do have to make some noise, you do have to kind of break out of the clutter in some way. So I think this is just because the business changed over time. So it might seem alien to somebody of my father’s generation but I’ve seen even them adapt even though they do promotional tours and they do media interactions. Whereas in the 80s and 90s when I was growing up, they did a film and released it in theaters and all you saw were movie posters. There were not even trailers or anything like that. But as I think additional mediums keep getting popular, there are new avenues to market your films. And now if you don’t do that, there is a chance that people might not know when the film is coming out, there’s a chance that the film might come and go without them realizing. So it’s a very human thing. We just adapt and go on. But I definitely would go on to say that I’m happiest shooting my films.

Masala: Which parts of the promotions are skipped in the South, as you mentioned?

Dulquer Salmaan: Our promotional tours aren’t so extensive. Like, what in Hindi takes maybe 10 days or 20 days, in Malayalam, alone would just be 2 days. In Tamil, it will be 3 to 5. In Telugu, it would be a week and that week would mostly be when the events are announced. So events where you gather the public or you gather media were popular in Telugu, I’ve noticed because I think it’s also a chance for the audience to interact with the people from the film. And in Kerala, it’s mostly just you talking to the media. And that’s about it. So I can see the difference. It’s more and more promotional activities with the bigger the industry, but also I think Hindi caters to such a wide market. So you have to try and reach a much wider audience. The number of channels is more, and the number of media outlets is more. So sometimes I’ll be recording bytes for Australia or Americas and Europe and everything separately. I do understand the marketing part of films.

Masala: Is there something about South Indian cinema that you wish Bollywood knew because of lack of visibility or any other reason?

Dulquer Salmaan: Every industry has a long history. I mean, they know where they started. They know how far they’ve come and they know where to go. But I think sometimes it’s maybe it’s too much information, maybe it’s too much statistics, maybe it’s too many numbers. I think there was so much more that you would bet blindly on film, pre-digital and satellite, you made movies, you put in your life savings, you mortgaged your house, in all of that faith, to try and get the film right, and you kept your theater audience in mind. There’s a lot more at stake those days and I think that’s when there’s more experimenting, there’s more bolder films being made. I think today, there’s so many more avenues of view, kind of safeguarding your investment pre-release that I don’t know how much more risk we’re taking. I think when there’s a lot more at risk, we put everything into our films, maybe that’s what is kind of affecting it. I’m now of the belief that we need to kind of go back to pre-90s or pre-satellite era, how we approach movies and make them for theater audiences. And that’s applicable across all industries.

Masala: Do you think that films have become predictable and we’re not taking risks anymore?

Dulquer Salmaan: It’s not that. A lot of times they think something is working, so, therefore make that every time, and everybody goes and kind of jumps on that bandwagon. There are very few who take the risk of making a film that everybody’s telling them not to make or it won’t work. But those are the ones that are really making a dent because even the audience gets bored with it. They need to be surprised every now and then. Maybe the need of the hour in Bollywood is big entertainment as the industry after facing criticism bounced back with a movie like Pathaan. But I think what is drawing people to the cinemas is theatrical films or something that is making the audience really curious. Almost like they get FOMO from not going and watching the movie in the theater. I mean, the craze for Oppenheimer and Barbie was nuts and they’re both two startlingly different films and genres.

Masala: Are there any particular genres you think are doing really well for Indian cinema at the moment?

Dulquer Salmaan: I don’t believe it’s any one film. I mean, if you take some of the big hits Kantara was very different from an RRR, which is very different from a Sita Raman or very different from a Pathaan. So I don’t think there’s any one particular genre, it’s something about maybe being authentic, being real, fearless, and trying to tell a story to the audience, making it reach as wide as possible. See, none of us know what works, right? I mean, I can sit here and claim to know because I’ve cracked a few films in the South but it isn’t as simple as that, we can still like the script. It can be great and you can put everything into it and sometimes it might not connect, might not resonate with the audience. But I do believe if you put in genuine effort, and if it’s sincere, and it’s authentic, I think they always recognize that. I think if you put together a quick project I’m not a believer in that. A lot of times, people are like, ‘hey, let’s get this actor and this actress and this writer and director and music director, we put together a film it’ll work because it’s like, it’s got all these key ingredients.’ But it’s not stemming from something really honest or inspired, so the writing is where the meat is.

Masala: A lot of people have asked you about your favorite film of your father, but which movie(s) of yours does he like the most?

Dulquer Salmaan: I have no idea! I don’t think he’s ever mentioned that to me. The thing is he doesn’t give me a lot of opinions. I know he’s quietly proud but he’s been very clear from the get-go that he had nobody to kind of mentor him or tell him what to do. He’s like, ‘I learned on the go, I took my risks, I failed and I pulled myself up.’ And I think he wants me to do that on my own. Which I really appreciate. Because I have all the freedom to do what I want and make my mistakes. And at least then he goes into that mode where he’s like, it’s fine, you know, you’ll be okay. Like, you know, pick your socks up, we’ll just get on with it. And that’s been the most security I’ve ever needed.

Masala: So does he ever have mentoring sessions or something that you ask him about?

Dulquer Salmaan: No, it’s a misconception that this is what happens in my house. We’re both quite busy in our own careers. The one thing we do is, when I find a script I like, I like to hear his opinion on it. And vice-versa, if we find something he likes, he needs my opinion on it. Because maybe the younger-older perspective, we both need to know, across demographics what they think, because again, none of us know what’s going to work, what the audience is gonna like. See, it’s very subjective, what I like, may not resonate with the millions of viewers out there. So, I think in the few people who we discuss it with – we’re definitely on each other’s list.

Masala: How did you meet your wife? What’s your love story?

Dulquer Salmaan: We were from the same school. She’s five years my junior, we grew up in Chennai so yeah, when I was a prefect, she was like a child. Obviously, I didn’t look at her with that lens at the time. But years later, when I finished university, and came back, I was exploring the idea of pursuing films. I started suddenly seeing her out in Chennai every now and then. (she never really steps out) I’ve never really seen her out and I was like, why am I suddenly, why is she suddenly everywhere, and why am I bumping into her like this? So I thought it’s a sign. I kind of reached out to her and I knew my folks were getting wedding proposals and I’d heard through friends that she’s also getting, you know, proposals and I was like, ‘Okay, I guess both sides both families are looking to get us married individually so maybe there is a possibility there.’ I reached out very frankly, and it was okay, ‘Hey you know, meet me for a cup of coffee and I have a lot of pressure from my family and I feel like you’re going through the same thing. So let’s meet and if there’s something there then let’s explore that. If there isn’t anything and like, you know, we don’t get along at all, then it’s the most boring coffee date you’ve been on, it’ll just be like, two schoolmates met for a cup of coffee!’ So we met and then hit it off. And three weeks later, or wait, I think a month later, we were engaged. It was like we had arranged it ourselves. We were dating after we got engaged and six months later, we were married.

Masala: If you were to act in a movie with Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, what kind of movie do you think that would be? And what would the storyline be?

Dulquer Salmaan: So I find them both very entertaining. I do like them in their slightly artistic choices. Like Ranveer in Lootera or Gully Boy or Deepika in Piku. Those kinds of films are more my cup of tea, even as an actor. But I love the highly song and dance-oriented stuff that they do. So maybe it will be a nice mix of both some middle ground where there’s some excellent content, but you have splashes of commercials. It’s a thin line. I think Gully Boy had a bit of that. Because, you know, you had the rap battles and stuff, but it was rooted. So I think, that’s something I’d like to do.