Dulquer Salmaan revealed that his upcoming film Kaantha, which he produced under his Wayfarer Films banner alongside Rana Daggubati's Spirit Media, was supposed to start before his 2024 film Lucky Bhaskar. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter India, Dulquer disclosed that he did look tests simultaneously for both films in front of their directors. "There was a time where we were trying to do both films side by side. I remember doing these very cool look tests where you can match both (characters). Probably why I am clean shaven in Lucky Bhaskar is because of Kaantha. Both directors were there trying to find common ground," Dulquer explained.
Dulquer added that he even considered abandoning the idea of making Kaantha, as it had been "so many years in the making" due to his and Rana's other commitments. Subsequently, Lucky Bhaskar was announced, leading to what he described as "formal producer talk" between him and Rana. The actor suggested that the delayed production of the film contributed to a near fallout between them. "You committed this, now you cannot go do that," Dulquer said, referring to a text message from Rana. "I was like, "What? Are we going to get legal on each other," said Dulquer, eliciting big laughs from his co-star and co-producer Rana Daggubati.
Dulquer and Rana Daggubati have been friends for a long time now. The actors' friendship predate their entry into cinema. Dulquer met Naga Chaitanya, the Baahubali star's cousin, while the latter was pursuing his education in Chennai. The three actors spent their growing up years in the city and became friends gradually during a long period.
