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Unlike many of his peers and colleagues, Mammootty is not known to have pulled strings to facilitate his son Dulquer Salmaan’s film debut. Despite having the power to bring in some of the finest Malayalam filmmakers to launch his son and bankroll the film himself, Mammootty never did.

In fact, Dulquer Salmaan made his foray into Malayalam cinema through a movie, Second Show (2012), helmed by debutant director Srinath Rajendran and featuring a couple of newcomers in the central roles.

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Regardless, the actor never denied that being “Mammootty’s son” helped him gain quick entry into Tinseltown and land the lead role in his debut movie itself.

Recently, a fan asked Dulquer what the best piece of advice he ever received from his legendary father was. His response not only shed light on the bond the father-son duo shares but also offered a profound lesson on parenting.

“I think I’m the most blessed son because my father doesn’t interfere too much in my life. He says, ‘You do, you figure out, you fail, you win; it should all be you. If anything happens, I’m here as a backup. I’m like your safety net.’ Like in the circus, if you fall, there’s a safety net,” he said.

Dulquer added, “He’s my safety net. But he does not tell me what to do. He says, ‘You figure, you learn, you make mistakes.’ So I think that is my biggest blessing.” Dulquer Salmaan made these remarks during a promotional event for his upcoming movie, I’m Game, directed by Nahas Hidhayath.

Also starring Kayadu Lohar, Mysskin, Antony Varghese Pepe, Samyuktha Viswanathan, Vinay Forrt, and Kathir in key roles, I’m Game will hit the screens on Thursday, September 3.

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In another interview a few years ago, Dulquer revealed that his first paycheck was Rs 2,000, which he received without nepotism. “I was 10 years old. This has nothing to do with my dad; this is not some nepotism advantage. I was randomly picked by director Rajiv Menon’s ad agency. They came to my school to pick kids for a television commercial (TVC), and I was one of those who got selected. They gave me Rs 2,000 for that,” he told Curly Tales YouTube channel.

“It (the Rs 2,000) was like unheard-of money, like it was Rs 2 crore or something. I was 9 or 10 years old at that time. I gave Rs 500 to my grandparents and the rest to my mother. And then I used to keep asking her, ‘Maa, that Rs 2,000 I have, can I buy this?’ So then my mom was like, ‘You finished that Rs 2,000 long ago.’ She still talks about this,” he added.

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Dulquer was most recently seen in Selvamani Selvaraj’s Kaantha (2025), while his last Malayalam lead role was in King of Kotha (2023).

Mammootty was last seen in director Mahesh Narayanan’s Patriot, where he shared the screen with Mohanlal after 17 years since Twenty:20 (2008).

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