Aishwarya Lekshmi has opened up about the impact of King of Kotha’s failure on her career and confidence. The 2023 Malayalam film, directed by Abhilash Joshiy and headlined by Dulquer Salmaan, arrived amid considerable hype but eventually emerged as both a critical and commercial disappointment.
The film marked Dulquer’s first theatrical release in his home industry in nearly two years after Kurup (2021). However, its underwhelming performance was followed by heavy trolling directed at the cast and crew, particularly Dulquer and Aishwarya, who played the lead roles.
Aishwarya Lekshmi recalls she didn’t want to work with Dulquer Salmaan
Speaking about the aftermath, Aishwarya revealed that the film’s failure affected her significantly and made filmmakers in the Malayalam industry hesitant to cast her. She also admitted that the criticism surrounding her performance impacted her confidence to such an extent that she began questioning whether she could work with Dulquer again.
“King of Kotha came amid huge hype in 2023. But after that, it felt like the Malayalam industry was afraid to cast me anymore. Not just me; Dulquer and the film’s crew also faced trolls. My acting and dialogue delivery were all trolled. But many times, I have also felt that what they say is right,” Aishwarya reportedly said during a conversation with television presenter Ranjini Haridas on her YouTube channel.
Recalls getting affected by trolling
She further recalled how a particular criticism surrounding her dialogue delivery stayed with her. “Many people made fun of me for the way I called Dulquer ‘Rajuvetta’ in the film. It hurt me deeply when an assistant director (AD) called me that and made fun of me during the shooting of Hello Mummy. Like that, many things happened,” she said.
Aishwarya also revealed that the trolling influenced a professional decision. She recalled turning down an advertisement opportunity with Dulquer because she feared their pairing would once again attract negative reactions.
“After that, I had an ad shoot coming up with Dulquer. But I told the team, ‘The repercussions have been terrible; it will be trouble for you.’ I don’t think I can work with Dulquer anymore. Such trolls have affected me that much,” she added.
Also starring Shabeer Kallarakkal, Prasanna, Gokul Suresh, Nyla Usha and Chemban Vinod Jose, King of Kotha was mounted on a reported budget of Rs 50 crore. According to Sacnilk, the film grossed around Rs 31.35 crore worldwide.
Aishwarya made her acting debut with Njandukalude Nattil Oridavela in 2017 and has since worked across Malayalam and Tamil cinema, earning recognition for films including Mayaanadhi, Varathan, Kaanekkaane and Ponniyin Selvan.
Aishwarya Lekshmi rejected Dulquer Salmaan's ad after King of Kotha failure
