Undoubtedly, Prashanth Neel's Ugraram was a turning point in Sriimurali's career which inspired him to do massive films like Rathavara, Bharate and now Madhagaja. With each of these films, Sriimurali has chosen interesting subjects. So is it the demand of the audience or is it their creativity and curiosity that drives them to choose such subjects? “Preparation plays an important role, especially at a time when we are facing competition from our peers in multiple languages. My basic intention has always been to give the audience a new experience with each film,” explains Sriimurali as he talks about his upcoming release, Madhagaja, which is slated to hit the screens on December 3.
Sriimurali says Madhagaja brought together a good team, which included producer Umapati and a film-old director Mahesh Kumar. “Both knew exactly what kind of theme I fit in, and worked around it. From the technical team we had Ravi Basrur, whose work I cannot describe in a few words. He is superb. Then we have Naveen Kumar, with whom I am joining for the second time after Mufti. The credit for this will go to the entire team."
Reluctant to divulge details about his role in Madhagaja, Sriimurali says, "All I can say at this point of time is that it is a wholeheartedly made film. Nothing is overdue, and everything is on point. In Madhagaja It is everything one would expect from a mass entertainer,” he says. However, Sriimurali says he had his struggles in Madhagaja, and shares some unforgettable incidents.
“Shooting started during Shivratri in the year 2020, and we were able to complete the first schedule in Varanasi, and while the shooting was going on at a good pace, the pandemic gave us the first blow. I was heartbroken and shattered. When life was getting back to normal, and we had planned various events, I suffered a leg injury during a fight sequence. This bothered me more and I got irritated. Then followed a second wave, which took another six months. And when time was running out, we took it as a challenge and completed the shoot,” says Sriimurali, who is still mourning the death of his cousin Puneet Rajkumar. “I miss my cousin, and he has no replacement. I still don't want to believe something like this happened. We are unlucky to lose him,” he continued.
With Aashika Ranganath as the heroine, Sriimurali, who is part of the ensemble cast, got an opportunity to share screen space with actors like Jagapathi Babu and Devyani for the first time. “With a lot of experience, they still maintain professionalism. They come ready and focus on their work. Working with such senior actors is not easy. Tried to do it, and it worked. It was equally a pleasure to work with many other artists like Rangayana Raghu, Chikana, and Shivraj K R Pete,” says Sriimurali, who signs off saying, "It is not easy to bring back films like Madhagaza now and then. I am eagerly waiting for the audience's response."