Dulquer Salmaan’s gangster action drama, King of Kotha, is slated for a grand release tomorrow. Starring Aishwarya Lekshmi as the leading lady, the film is directed by Abhilash Joshiy and produced by Wayfarer Films in association with Zee Studios. Shaan Rahman and Jakes Bejoy have scored the tunes. Ahead of the release, we had a brief interaction with Dulquer Salmaan, and here is the transcript.
This is your first gangster film, right?
Yeah, I haven’t done any gangster films previously. This is my biggest film in terms of scale. King Of Kotha has all the commercial ingredients like songs, action sequences, football portions, etc. This has been a unique experience for me.
What aspects impressed you regarding King Of Kotha?
I extremely liked the story. It is a very good gangster flick with an emphasis on friendship. Every character in the film influences the narrative. I like human drama and conflict, and these elements have fit neatly into this story. King Of Kotha has all the elements that audiences expect. The story will happen in two time periods.
Many films have come over the years in this gangster genre. How different is King Of Kotha from them?
This is my style of gangster film. It will have a good story and screenplay. It is packed neatly with a solid cast, nice music, and all commercial elements. What I liked most about the film is each and every character will change the course of the film.
Is this your dream project?
The director is my childhood friend, and we have been planning to do one film for a long time. Finally, we found the right story. Generally, I will do three films in a year, but we took more than a year for this film. We did this film to provide a good cinematic experience to the viewers. We are sure the film will draw audiences to the theatres since we made it on a massive scale.
After Sita Ramam, did you wish to do more Telugu films?
I like to do straight Telugu films. Currently, I am doing a Telugu film named Lucky Bhaskar which is being directed by Venky Atluri. I am discussing a few stories too.
You have worked with senior directors like Mani Ratnam and Balki. How different is it working with new directors?
I enjoy working with all the directors. Sometimes new directors will come up with unique ideas. They will have the urge to achieve something big. On the other side, experienced directors will teach us many things. But I always focus on selecting different stories. I am a person who believes that a good film can be made if the material (content) is strong.
Are you part of Project K?
I am trying to avoid questions related to Project K. The production house will announce everything related to it. But all I can say is Project K will change the landscape of Indian cinema. Till now, I have watched many films, but none have attempted something like Project K till now.