He has turned a new leaf starting this year. He is not only sporting a new look but is also back with a bang after a hiatus, with three films— Minchina Ota, Sihi Gaali and Shivamani back-to-back. Perhaps, rechristening himself has done the trick for him. That’s not all. To top it all he is all set to tie the nuptial knot with his long-time girlfriend Vidya in May.

Meet Srimurali, the young, enthusiastic and upcoming actor who is gung-ho about the films he has signed and the turn that his life is taking following his engagement to his girlfriend.

In this interview, Srimurali (earlier Murali Dev), talks about his forthcoming film Minchina Ota with his brother Vijaya Raghavendra, his career and his personal life.

Excerpts:

What have you been up to all these days?

I have been hibernating for close to a year since my last release Preethigaagi. But, at the same time I was busy with my home production. I continued to listen to scripts during this period but nothing really excited me. Also, I went out on a long holiday to the US.

 How did you finally zero in on Minchina Ota?  How did director Cyanide Ramesh manage to convince both of you (yourself and Vijaya Raghavendra) brothers to do Minchina Ota together in what could be termed as a casting coup?

We always wanted to work together. But, film-makers here have found it difficult to convince both of us together. Yes, we were very clear that the film that we do together should become a milestone not just in our professional lives as actors but be right up there (pointing towards the sky) in the Kannada film industry.

All of a sudden, director A M R Ramesh came and narrated a story to both of us with probably both of us in his mind. On hearing the story, both of us were thrilled and I became adamant that it should be done under our own production banner. But, Sa Ra Govindu, who is also our family friend was keen on producing it.

 What preparation went into your role in Minchina Ota?

I have learnt horse-riding. You can see me sport a new hairstyle in the movie. We tried nine different hairstyles and finally decided to go with what the style that you are seeing me in today. Moreover, we brothers look alike that I had to straighten my hair so that there is a visible difference.

In spite of winning the coveted State award for the best actor in Kanti right at the beginning of your career, what really went wrong with the choice of your later films, which bombed at the box-office?

I don’t want to blame anyone for whatever has happened. But, I don’t want to repeat my mistakes. We are not overconfident about Minchina Ota’s script. But, I believe that we are all doing a decent job giving more than 100 per cent to what is expected from us.

 How was it working with director Ramesh? What can the audience expect from Minchina Ota?

Director Ramesh is very clear about what he wants from us and it is evident that he doesn’t put us under stress. As for what the audience can expect, Minchina Ota is not filmi. It is real with a number of real incidents thrown in.
There is a stunt sequence in which a car rams into a moving train that the audience can expect. We have not used a single duplicate artiste for this sequence. Technically, we can promise one of the most superior films.

Tell us about the girl in your life.

I am happy that I am getting married in May, which had to happen after Anna’s wedding last year. We (myself and Vidya) have been seeing each other for some years now. Sadly, there is no filmi drama in this rather very smooth affair.