Dulquer Salmaan recalls getting ‘pushed around’ on Bollywood sets

Dulquer Salmaan, who has been a part of the Indian entertainment industry for over a decade now, has revealed that he once had to fake stardom to get a chair on the set of a Hindi film. The 42-year-old made his debut in Bollywood with Karwaan in 2018. He recently talked about the challenges he faced in the Hindi film industry during an appearance at The Hollywood Reporter's Producers Roundtable 2025.

Dulquer shared that when he did Hindi films, "my two people and I would just get pushed around on set." He said that he had to "create this illusion of being this big star." "Otherwise, I would not find chairs to sit in. I would not find space to look at the monitors. It'd be a big crowd of people," he added. However, this culture shock taught the actor a lesson that he still carries in his mind.

Dulquer said that soon he realised that it is all perception. "If you come in a fancy car with a lot of people, then suddenly the perception is, ‘Oh, this is a star.' Which is sad because that's not where my energy should go,” The Hollywood Reporter quoted him as saying.

Dulquer shared that he comes from an industry where he saw an opposite culture. He stated that they never had any luxury on set when it comes to Malayalam cinema. "We'd shoot all over the state, get permission from a house, pay the owners and that would be where we change or use the restrooms. That was always the practice," he recalled. Dulquer stated that the size of the industry might be a key factor influencing these situations.

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“I just couldn't understand. I don't want to be mean to any industry, but I guess it's a cultural thing," he stated. He added, "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 one-two1states and think like we are the big deal. Maybe, the size of the industry influences things”.

During the conversation, the actor further shared that he follows a simple rule: one must pay for what they want. "Most of us absorb our own costs. If I am being paid X, then X minus whatever my entourage costs or luxuries I want... I can absorb it," he added.

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He was seen in Tamil period drama Kaantha.

The film will come out on Netflix on December 12.

Source: Hindustan Times
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