'I don't know if I will be able to act with Dulquer again'; Aishwarya Lekshmi reveals reason

Actress Aishwarya Lekshmi has opened up about how the criticism and trolling she faced over the Dulquer Salmaan-starrer King of Kotha affected her career. She said the cyberattacks following the film appeared to have made some people in the Malayalam film industry hesitant to cast her in new projects.

Aishwarya made the revelation in an interview with Ranjini Haridas. She said the response to the film, which reached theatres in 2023 amid high expectations, was a major personal setback for her.

Her performance in the film, particularly her dialogue delivery, was widely trolled. However, Aishwarya said she also felt that some of the criticism was valid and helped her identify and improve her shortcomings as an actor.

“I felt that some of the criticism was right. It helped me understand where I was lacking and work on those areas,” Aishwarya said.

She had faced criticism earlier as well over a lack of confidence while handling emotional scenes. She said she subsequently paid more attention to such scenes and now feels more confident performing them.

While Aishwarya said she is open to constructive criticism, personal attacks and online trolling can still be hurtful.

The actress also recalled how some of the dialogues in King of Kotha, in which her character addresses Dulquer Salmaan’s character Raju as “Raju Etta,” became major targets of online trolling. She said the dialogues were even brought up jokingly on the first day of the shoot of Hello Mummy, when an assistant director teased her by calling her “Rajuvetta.”

Aishwarya explained that the dialogues were used considering the period in which the film was set and the nature of her character. However, the audience did not respond well to it.

Aishwarya also revealed that she was offered an opportunity to appear in an advertisement with Dulquer after King of Kotha. However, she herself suggested stepping away from the project because she was concerned that the negative reactions surrounding the film could affect the brand as well.

“I was worried that the reactions I had received after King of Kotha might affect the brand too, so I suggested that I step away from the advertisement,” she said.

Aishwarya added that she is even unsure whether she will get another opportunity to act alongside Dulquer Salmaan.

“I don't know if I will be able to act with Dulquer again,” she said.