She’s acting with Arya’s brother Sathya in Etthuthikkum Madhayaanai (EM), but insists that films happened quite by chance. For a Rajasthani girl, raised in Hyderabad, Sree Mukhi is a bundle of energy. “My great-grandfather settled in Hyderabad. I have no filmi background as dad is a government employee and mom is a beautician,” she says. But while pursuing a BDS course, she got an offer to anchor a TV programme. Soon she had two shows on ETV and Maa TV in her kitty.
So how did films happen? “It happened purely by chance! Someone saw my programmes online and thought I was apt for the role of Allu Arjun’s sister in Julayi. I was tying rakhi to my brother on Raksha Bandhan day, when director Trivikram Srinivas called. My mother felt it was an auspicious sign since the offer was for a sister’s role! Even though I knew nothing about cinema, I decided to go ahead,” recalls Sree Mukhi.
She refused many sister roles post Julayi and her wait has paid off. She’s now a heroine in Prema Ishq Kadhal directed by Pawan Sadineni, where she plays a Tamil girl.
Sree Mukhi, who dubbed in her own voice for both her Telugu films, is looking forward to her Tamil debut. “Thangasamy saw my photos online. He wanted me to put on weight for the role so for one month, I ate a lot!” she laughs. In EM, Sree Mukhi plays a TV anchor from a village. “Since I had been a TV anchor myself, I could relate to the role completely!” The film is set in Tirunelveli and the heat was the one thing she found tough to contend with. “I used a lot of sun tan lotion!” she chuckles. So how fluent is her Tamil? “I have many Tamil speaking friends in Hyderabad and have been talking in Tamil to them. I’m also learning from a tutor. I would have liked to dub but since I haven’t got the complete hang of the local slang, it wont be possible this time,” she smiles.
Director Thangasamy is also acting in the film, along with his Rattinam hero Laguparan.