Expectations were high when Dulquer Salmaan and Aishwarya Lekshmi teamed up for the actioner ‘King of Kotha’ three years ago. But the film received mixed reviews from critics and audiences and performed moderately at the box office. There were also several trolls aimed at some of the scenes in ‘KOK’.Aishwarya Lekshmi has now spoken about the impact ‘King of Kotha’ had on her career. The actress said the film’s failure and the subsequent trolling affected her professionally. According to Aishwarya Lekshmi, the backlash was not limited to the film’s performance. She also faced criticism over her acting and dialogue delivery. She believes the negative response may have influenced how filmmakers viewed her.The actress opened up about the experience during a special interview with Ranjini Haridas. She admitted that her assessment could be wrong. However, she said she personally felt a change after the film’s release.
Aishwarya Lekshmi says casting opportunities were affected
Aishwarya Lekshmi said she felt the film’s failure had repercussions for her as well. She believes filmmakers in the Malayalam industry became more cautious about casting her after the film.“After ‘King of Kotha’ was released, I feel that it affected my career. That’s how I think about it. I could be wrong. It was a film that came with such a huge amount of hype. As far as I know, after ‘King of Kotha’, it felt like people in the Malayalam industry were afraid to cast me.” The actress also recalled the intense trolling that followed the film.
Actress recalls trolling over her performance
Aishwarya Lekshmi said she was among several people associated with the film who faced online criticism. Dulquer Salmaan and the wider crew were also subjected to trolling after the movie’s release.“After the failure of ‘King of Kotha’, there were a lot of trolls. It wasn’t just me; Dulquer Salmaan and the entire crew of the film also had to face such trolling. My acting, dialogue delivery and everything were mocked. But many times, even I felt that what they were saying was right.” She particularly remembered criticism surrounding a dialogue in which her character addressed Dulquer Salmaan as ‘Rajuvetta’. The trolling eventually followed her beyond the film.
‘Rajuvetta’ trolling
Aishwarya Lekshmi recalled an incident during the making of ‘Hello Mummy’. She said an assistant director referred to her using the same name that had become a subject of online jokes.“Many people made fun of the fact that I called Dulquer Salmaan ‘Rajuvetta’ in the film. During the shoot of ‘Hello Mummy’, an assistant director teased me by calling me that, and it hurt me a lot. There were many such incidents.”
Aishwarya Lekshmi fears working with Dulquer Salmaan again
According to Aishwarya Lekshmi, she warned the team involved in the advertisement about the possible backlash. She said the trolling had affected her to such an extent that she now doubts whether she can work with Dulquer Salmaan again.“After that, I got an advertisement shoot with Dulquer Salmaan. But I told them that the backlash was terrible and that it would become a problem for them. I don’t think I will be able to work with Dulquer Salmaan again. Those kinds of trolls have affected me so much,” Aishwarya Lekshmi said.Meanwhile, Dulquer Salmaan’s latest Malayalam film, ‘I’m Game’, has reached theatres. The film has received mixed reviews following its release. Directed by Nahas Hidhayath, ‘I’m Game’ marks Dulquer Salmaan’s return to Malayalam cinema in a leading role after 3 years.
