Salute star Dulquer Salmaan says the word pan-India irks him
India Today
Salute star Dulquer Salmaan doesn't like the term pan-India. The actor feels one can't engineer a pan-Indian film.
Actor Dulquer Salmaan says he is puzzled by the rampant use of the term "pan-India" for movies as one can't design a film that works on a national level but resonates with a wider audience organically. Filmmaker SS Rajamouli's two-part action-fantasy series Baahubali, released between 2015 and 2017, is often credited for bridiging the gap between the North and South film industries.
Since then, the word pan-India gained momentum after movies of South stars like Vijay's Master and Allu Arjun's Pushpa set new box office records in Hindi regions. "The word pan-India really irks me. I just don't like hearing it. I love that there is so much exchange of talent happening in cinema, it's great, but we are one country. I don't think anyone says pan-America. I don't get it, even though they say it sweetly," the 35-year-old actor told PTI.
Salmaan, the star of films like O Kadhal Kanmani, Bangalore Days, Hey Sinamika and Kurup, said the movies that have travelled across India are the ones which were essentially made for one market. If one designs their project to cater to all, the actor believes the film "won't belong anywhere".
"You can't engineer a pan-India film. Those films that have actually travelled across India are the ones which were rooted and made for one market. If you try to do a 'pan-India' film, try to appeal to all audiences for different markets, it will not belong anywhere.
"So, you make your film as rooted as it can be, tell the story of that land and mount it bigger, cast it differently and maybe put in a few familiar faces from different markets. I get all of that but I don't think you should lose the sensibilities or the culture of that particular story".
Salmaan stars in the Malayalam police procedural drama "Salute", currently streaming on SonyLIV. The film is directed by Rosshan Andrews and penned by writer-duo Bobby and Sanjay. The film features the actor as a cop for the first time.
Salmaan said he was in talks with the director and the writers for a long time to collaborate on a project but never connected with any script as much as he did with Salute. The film cuts between the past and the present-day scenario, where, a once committed sub inspector, played by Salmaan, is looking for a shot at redemption after a fall.
