By the numbers
- Films: 35 since 2012; 20 in the last ten years (cameos and guest appearances not counted)
- Recent films with figures: 7 of 14 since 2018
- Hits: 3 (1 blockbusters), average: 0, flops: 4 – a hit rate of 43%
- Average return: 1.52x budget; best: Sita Ramam 4.00x; weakest: The Zoya Factor 0.21x
- Biggest hit: Lucky Baskhar (2024), ₹111 cr
- Trend: last five films 1.63x on average, the five before 1.26x (up)
- Born: 1983-07-28
- Awards on Wikidata: 2
| Year | Film | Budget | Box office | Return | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | I’m Game | – | – | – | No figures |
| 2025 | Kaantha | ₹40 cr | ₹35 cr | 0.88x | Flop |
| 2024 | Lucky Baskhar | ₹56 cr | ₹111 cr | 1.98x | Hit |
| 2023 | King of Kotha | ₹40 cr | ₹38 cr | 0.95x | Flop |
| 2022 | Sita Ramam | ₹25 cr | ₹100 cr | 4.00x | Blockbuster |
| 2022 | Salute | – | – | – | No figures |
| 2022 | Hey Sinamika | ₹15 cr | ₹5.0 cr | 0.33x | Flop |
| 2021 | Kurup | ₹35 cr | ₹81 cr | 2.31x | Hit |
| 2020 | Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal | – | – | – | No figures |
| 2020 | Varane Avashyamund | – | – | – | No figures |
| 2019 | The Zoya Factor | ₹33 cr | ₹7.0 cr | 0.21x | Flop |
| 2019 | Oru Yamandan Premakadha | – | – | – | No figures |
| 2018 | Karwaan | – | ₹26 cr | – | No figures |
| 2018 | Mahanati | ₹25 cr | – | – | No figures |
Dulquer Salmaan’s career reads like two overlapping bets: consistent Malayalam stardom and a wider pan-Indian gamble. In the table above, the available data covers seven films with figures. That sample shows 3 hits, 4 flops, a 43% hit rate and an average multiple of 1.52. The reported grosses in the data sum to Rs 403.4 crore. The page also notes 35 films since 2012, 20 in the last decade, 2 awards and 6 appearances left out of the reported table.
As a scorecard, that record rewards patience rather than volume.
The hits and the misses
Lucky Baskhar is the biggest hit by gross: Rs 111 crore against a Rs 56 crore budget, a 1.98 multiple. The best return, though, belongs to Sita Ramam — a blockbuster at 4.0, with Rs 100 crore against Rs 25 crore. One is the biggest earner; the other is the strongest efficiency story.
The weakest return is The Zoya Factor at 0.21, with Rs 6.96 crore against Rs 33 crore. Recent misses include Hey Sinamika at 0.33, King of Kotha at 0.95 and Kaantha at 0.88.
The trend
The recent five average multiple is 1.63, up from 1.26 in the five before. The improvement is real but top-heavy: Sita Ramam’s 4.0 multiple does much of the lifting, while three recent films sit below 1.0 — Hey Sinamika at 0.33, King of Kotha at 0.95 and Kaantha at 0.88.
That shape — one blockbuster propping up the average — is different from a consistently improving slate.
What it means for Dulquer’s next film — and the industry
Dulquer’s next film, I’m Game, has no figures on Wikipedia as of 27 September 2026. Coming after Kaantha’s 0.88, it will test whether Lucky Baskhar’s 1.98 was a reset or a single win in a high-budget run.
For the industry, the scorecard is a caution against pricey crossover bets. Budgets of Rs 40 crore and above sit on both sides of the ledger: Lucky Baskhar at Rs 56 crore worked, while King of Kotha at Rs 40 crore and Kaantha at Rs 40 crore fell short. A 43% hit rate and a 1.52 average multiple leave little room for vanity-scale spending. The actor’s next test is whether the efficient Sita Ramam model becomes the template, not the exception.
Figures: Dulquer Salmaan filmography on Wikipedia and each film’s page, read on 27 September 2026.
