Dulquer Salmaan has officially announced his return to Malayalam cinema with his upcoming film, "I'm Game". The film, directed by Nahas Hidhayath of "RDX" fame, is expected to be an action-packed venture. This marks Salmaan's return to Malayalam cinema after his 2023 film, "King of Kotha".
The first look poster was released on March 1, 2025, generating excitement among fans. The poster features a pair of hands, one of them injured, holding a playing card, hinting at an intense and thrilling narrative. Salmaan shared the poster on his social media, captioning it, "The Game is On! #RollYourDice #ImGame". Prior to the poster reveal, he had teased the announcement with an image of a burning gambling chip, captioned "It's Time".
During promotions for his Tamil film "Kaantha" in Kochi on Friday, November 7, 2025, Salmaan revealed that "I'm Game" is slated for release in April 2026. He acknowledged his two-year absence from Malayalam films and assured audiences that "I'm Game" would meet or exceed their expectations. Shooting for the film is currently underway in and around Kochi.
"I'm Game" is billed as a mass entertainer with cricket playing an integral role in the storyline. Alongside Dulquer Salmaan, the film features Antony Varghese Pepe in a major role. Tamil filmmaker Mysskin will be making his acting debut in Malayalam, playing the antagonist. The cast also includes Tamil actor Kathir and Samyuktha Viswanathan.
The film is jointly scripted by Sajeer Baba, Bilal Moidu, and Ismail Aboobacker, with dialogues by Aadarsh Sukumaran and Shahabas Rasheed. Dulquer Salmaan and Jom Varghese are producing the film, which is also planned to be dubbed and released in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, and Kannada.
Nahas Hidhayath, the director, is known for helming "RDX: Robert Dony Xavier," which performed well during its Onam release. Jakes Bejoy is the music director for "I'm Game".
In addition to "I'm Game," Dulquer Salmaan has another project in the pipeline, "Kaantha," a multilingual film set in 1950s Madras. The first-look poster for "Kaantha" was revealed last month, coinciding with Salmaan's 13th year in the film industry. "Kaantha" is directed by Selvamani Selvaraj and produced by Rana Daggubati, exploring human relationships against the backdrop of societal change; Bhagyashri Borse also stars in the film.
Meanwhile, Dulquer’s recent film "Lucky Baskhar" has gained recognition as the first South Indian film to trend on Netflix for 13 consecutive weeks. Since its premiere, the film has been popular, topping Netflix's Top 10 in over 15 countries and holding the number two spot globally for two weeks. "Lucky Baskhar," directed by Venky Atluri and produced by Naga Vamsi S and Sai Soujanya, tells the story of a middle-class bank employee who becomes involved in a risky investment scheme.
