Ugramm, the 2014 film by Prashanth Neel was a game changer for Sriimurali. There’s been no looking back for the actor ever since, who, today, has a back-to-back project. Currently rolling with Bharaate, directed by Chetan Kumar, Sriimurali’s next will be Madagaja, a film helmed by Mahesh Kumar and produced by Umapathy.
The teaser of Bharaate and title poster of Madagaja will be launched respectively by Darshan today. Incidentally, it also happens to be Sriimurali’s birthday. “A birthday is meant to be celebrated with loved ones, and I am lucky to be spending the day with my fans.” says Sriimurali.
Meanwhile, the actor already has three more projects lined up, and among them is Ugramn Veeram, a film with the KGF director. Sriimurali says, “I have been booked now for a good number of years. I have started believing in not counting the number of projects, but going by the quality of scripts I have chosen. This helps me analyse what the future holds for me, in terms of my career.”
‘You’re as good as your last film’
Trust is the key word in the film industry today, which Sriimurali works on building with actors, directors and producers. “Behind all the stardom lies trust. In the long run, that’s what counts,” says the actor, grateful for films like Kanti and Chandra Chakori during his early years, which laid foundation for his career.
“Somewhere along the way, I lost track of the bigger picture. Only after Ugramm, did I start being careful of the path to stardom’. Like they say ‘better late than never’. Now, I make sure I look into every aspect,” he says looking back at his 15-year career. “You’re as good as your last film. The quality of work that comes to you depends on your past choices. It’s all about making the right moves with the right people. As an actor, maintaining your career graph is very important. And keeping a pulse of viewers’ likes and dislikes is very important. That’s what helps me grow and stay grounded,” he says.
When it all gets “too much,” Sriimurali has learnt the art of dealing with the situations. “When there is too much hype surrounding a certain project, I prefer taking a break. It helps in analysing the situation. That way, I’m also able to recharge and get back to work with a fresh perspective,” he says.