Dulquer Salmaan's travel-based Tamil film Vaan launched; shoot to begin from mid-December

Dulquer Salmaan, a popular Malayalam star, forayed into Tamil filmdom with Balaji Mohan’s 2014 film Vaaya Moodi Pesavum. Since then, he has carved a niche in Kollywood with films such as Ok Kanmani, Solo and Mahanati. On Wednesday, Dulquer’s new Tamil film Vaan, a travel-based drama, was officially launched in a customary ceremony in Chennai. To be directed by debutant Ra Karthik, the project will feature three heroines and start rolling in mid-December. The makers have already confirmed that Kalyani Priyadarshan and Kriti Kharbanda have been roped in as female leads. Filmmaker KS Ravikumar also marked his presence at the event as chief guest.

Talking about the project, Karthik said: “It’s a travel film. We plan to shoot in and around Tamil Nadu, as well as in North India. The film features three heroines,but it is not going to be a regular romantic film. It’ll be a unique flick suitable for all age groups. We are in the process of finalising the third leading lady.” He also added that all the three heroines will have substantial roles to play and won’t just appear on screen for a scene or two.

A thrilled Dulquer took to Facebook to post about the project soon after its launch. “So excited to begin Ra Karthik’s Vaan, produced by Kenanya Films. I think it’s no big secret that I love travel and travel movies, so I’m absolutely thrilled for this film.”

Dulquer will begin shooting from the last week of December. It’s interesting to note that he, with his unique choice of scripts in Tamil, has built a strong fan base. He recently completed shooting for another Tamil film, Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal, which also stars Ritu Varma. Dulquer plays the role of an IT professional in this project, which has been predominantly shot in Goa, Chennai, Hyderabad and Delhi.

In a recent chat, Dulquer explained why he’s doing more Tamil film than his counterparts from Malayalam industry. “Language is never a barrier for me. I grew up in Chennai and I know Tamil very fluently. If I really like the subject, I go ahead and do the film and never worry about the language it’s getting made in. When Mahanati was offered to me, I wasn’t sure if I should do a Telugu film because I don’t know the language. But, I had never done a period film and such projects never get made in Malayalam. Therefore, I didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity, especially playing the role of Gemini Ganeshan. Even when I signed Karwaan, it’s the script that really got my attention. I can’t do certain kind of films in Malayalam for various reasons but I don’t have to restrict myself in other industries.”

Dulquer has two more projects in his Kitty. Oru Yamandan Premakadha in Malayalam and The Zoya Factor, in which he shares screen space with Sonam Kapoor, in Hindi.