The Zoya Factor: Dulquer Salmaan on his Bollywood debut and character details in the upcoming film
One of the most handsome and talented actors of the South film industry, Dulquer Salmaan made his Bollywood debut last year with the comedy drama Karwaan, alongside Irrfan Khan and Mithila Palkar. Now, the actor is gearing up for his second Hindi film titled The Zoya Factor, opposite Sonam Kapoor Ahuja which is slated to hit theatres on 20th September. Based on Anuja Chauhan’s book of the same name, the film will see Dulquer play the role of captain of the Indian cricket team.
In a recent chat, the actor opened up about the response his debut Hindi film received. He said, “The biggest takeaway for many was my Hindi language skills. It was very important for me that they didn’t hear my accent. It’s reassuring because I guess I have the potential to work in all languages. Many were like Why didn’t you do something commercial? More of an entertainer?’ But Karwaan had so much heart when I first heard it. I don’t think I am entitled to any kind of debut launch in any industry. I didn’t do that in Malayalam. Why should I change that trend for Hindi? With The Zoya Factor I am hoping people can see that this guy who played Avinash can be Nikhil too.”
Dulquer went on to share details about his character in The Zoya Factor and stated, “Anuja [Chauhan] has put a bit of all captains in him from Virat Kohli to MS Dhoni. I think we have captured the essence of the book. It’s a nice adaptation and smartly made into a film and Anuja [Chauhan] was a part of it too. Zoya and Nikhil keep locking horns. He’s stubborn about his beliefs and principles which I get because when people tell me why don’t you do a remake of your dad’s films or sequels or major hardcore commercial cinema I find myself having to explain that that’s not what I want to do. I really got where Nikhil is coming from. But he’s portrayed as very cool, brash and suave which is not me at all.”