Earlier in July, the makers of Mahanati announced that they will be reuniting with Dulquer Salmaan for an untitled Telugu film which will be directed by Hanu Raghavapudi. The makers unveiled a concept poster to mark the announcement of the project. Going by the poster, the film is a period romantic drama set in the backdrop of war.
The poster, which shows an Air Mail cover, hints that the story unfolds in the year of 1964 and features Dulquer in the role of an Indian army man, ‘Lieutenant Ram’. The latest update is that Pooja Hegde and Rashmika Mandanna have been signed as the female leads. However, the makers are yet to make any official announcement regarding the casting. Vishal Chandrasekhar has been roped in to compose music for the film.
To be bankrolled by Swapna Cinemas, the film will be produced by Swapna Dutt and Priyanka Dutt, daughters of producer Ashwini Dutt . Dulquer’s last Telugu outing was Mahanati, in which he played the role veteran actor Gemini Ganesan. He received critical acclaim for his performance in the movie.
Dulquer also awaits the release of his upcoming Malayalam film Kurup. It will narrate the story of Sukumara Kurup, Kerala’s most wanted culprit who killed a man in 1984 and has been on the run ever since.
A statement from the makers recently indicated that Kurup will be the most expensive film to be made in Dulquer’s career on a budget of Rs 35 crore. “In his career, this is the biggest budget film that Dulquer has ventured into. It’s made on a budget of Rs 35 crore and has been shot in places such as Kerala, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Mangalore and Mysore) and UAE," read the statement. Sobhita Dhulipala plays the female lead in Kurup, which has been directed by Srinath Rajendran.
Dulquer also has Tamil romantic drama Hey Sinamika with choreographer-turned-director Brindha Gopal in the pipeline. Hey Sinamika also stars Aditi Rao Hydari and Kajal Aggarwal. The film went on the floors in March this year but had to be halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
After a seven month long break, shooting for the film recommenced recently. The technical crew of the film includes Govind Vasantha for music, with Preetha Jayaraman handling the camera. Hey Sinamika is being bankrolled by Jio Studios, and will be their first production venture in Kollywood.
(Content provided by Digital Native)