{
  "id": 4380440,
  "title": "Not Second Show, Dulquer Salmaan was supposed to debut in trendsetter that launched Asif Ali",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/30/not-second-show-dulquer-salmaan-was-supposed-to-debut-in-trendsetter",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-30T08:28:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/malayalam/dulquer-salmaan-missed-debut-shyamaprasad-ritu-im-game-second-show-10855571/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Dulquer Salmaan, a prominent Malayalam actor, has not relied on his father Mammootty's fame. He has made a name for himself in various languages and is set to release his 40th lead film, I'm Game, directed by Nahas Hidhayath. This marks his 14th year in the industry, following a supposed debut in Shyamaprasad's Ritu (2009), a film that ushered in a new era in Malayalam cinema and laid the foundation for the new generation film movement. Unfortunately, Dulquer was not cast in Ritu. The film, along with others like Passenger (2009) and Kerala Café (2009), marked the beginning of a paradigm shift in the industry. Shyamaprasad, who directed Ritu, mentioned that he had known Dulquer for a long time and intended to cast him in Ritu, but it did not materialize. Dulquer's decision to take on challenging roles, including I'm Game, stems from his desire to avoid familiarity in his work. In I'm Game, Antony Varghese Pepe is considered the true hero, and Dulquer praises Kayadu Lohar's performance, describing the film as Nahas Hidhayath's most ambitious project.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Dulquer Salmaan, Malayalam actor, not reliant on father Mammootty's fame.",
    "I'm Game, his 40th lead film, directed by Nahas Hidhayath.",
    "Dulquer's 14-year industry experience, despite not debuting in Ritu (2009)."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}