In a candid and revealing interview that offers a rare glimpse into the psyche of a modern superstar, actor Dulquer Salmaan has admitted that he struggles with self-doubt, often questioning his core talent as an actor due to ongoing criticism.
The actor, who has successfully navigated four film industries Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi and built a strong pan-India brand, stated that a small, persistent portion of the audience constantly tells him he “can’t act.”
Speaking during the promotional tour for his ambitious new film, ‘Kaantha’, Salmaan confessed that reading negative remarks about his acting abilities often leads to a deep, personal fear.
Dulquer said There is always a percentage of the audience who keep telling me that I can’t act. There will be some criticism I keep reading. So in my head, ‘Am I not good?’ This fear is always there,” the 39-year-old actor stated.
This admission is particularly striking given his filmography, which includes critically acclaimed and commercially successful performances in diverse roles, from the romantic hero of ‘O Kadhal Kanmani’ to the complex, layered character in ‘Kammati Paadam’.
Interestingly, Salmaan frames this self-doubt not as a weakness, but as a crucial motivational force. He explains that the insecurity pushes him to seek out roles that challenge his abilities and demand more from him as a performer.
That’s why I try hard to excel better, choose more challenging stuff,” he said. His ambition is driven by a desire to make his performance undeniable. Nobody should watch the film and feel like somebody else should have done it.
This philosophy explains his continuous effort to diversify his choices, avoiding repetition and actively stepping out of his comfort zone, even if it means risking failure.
For Dulquer Salmaan, the pressure to prove his worth is compounded by his lineage. As the son of cinema legend Mammootty, one of India’s most celebrated and awarded actors, the bar for his talent is set impossibly high from the outset.
Sources close to the star suggest that the persistent comparison to his father is the single biggest psychological hurdle he faces. Every subtle choice he makes, every emotional scene he performs, is often held up against the mammoth legacy of his father.
Veteran critics note that while Mammootty also faced a severe period of criticism early in his career, he rose above it to achieve iconic status. Salmaan is now walking that same tightrope, determined to carve out his own identity rather than simply living in his father’s reflection. To know such latest updates, stay tuned to tellyboosters.com Thank you!
