Srii Murali interview: On ‘Bagheera’, battling injuries, and his camaraderie with Prashanth Neel FilmyMeet

Actor Srii Murali
| Photo Credit: Ravichandran N

Kannada actor Srii Murali feared the worst when he got injured during the shoot for Bagheera in April this year. Murali suffered an ACL tear and a bone fracture on his knee, putting seeds of doubt about the fate of his career. “It was the second major injury in my life,” says Murali, who had previously torn his ligament while filming an action sequence on the sets of Madagaja in 2021. “I was scared to go under the knife. I couldn’t walk at all. I wondered if I would ever get back to my normal self.”

Murali grew more concerned about his surgery when he recollected his uncle, thespian Dr Rajkumar, being hesitant to get his knee operated on. “Finally, my doctors, who had treated several professional athletes, emboldened me and promised a speedy recovery,” he says.

Today, Murali is a relieved man, as he is back on his feet, promoting and talking highly about Bagheera, which is directed by Dr Suri and written by Prashanth Neel of KGF and Salaar fame. Having dedicated three years to the movie, he believes the result of his hard work will be seen on the big screen when the film,produced by Hombale Films,hits the theatres later this week for Diwali.

To play a cop and a masked vigilante in the film, the actor underwent a physical transformation that required him to work out for four hours a day for three years. Apart from fitness, pulling off the action scenes in the film was a major challenge, says the actor. Additionally, the action in the film, choreographed by Chethan D Souza,has a touch of martial arts, with Murali training for Krav Maga and Kalaripayattu to ace the fights.

“My father introduced me to martial arts such as taekwondo, karate, and kung fu in my childhood. So, it was easy to train for the fight scenes in Bagheera. Chethan is a modern-day fight master. He has tried something fresh in the film. There is a terrace sequence where you will see the vigilante character as a stylish man fighting his enemies. Children will love some of the gadgets he uses in the fights. We have also executed an action scene on a train. It took more than a year to plan the sequence,” he explains.

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Experience has taught Murali to be more careful about his body, especially while filming for action sequences. “Earlier, I would just blindly take risks,” he says, stating how he jumped from a 30-foot building for a scene in his film, Ugramm. “In another scene, my head banged into a crane, leading to pin-drop silence on the sets. My director, Neel, was shell-shocked. I was lucky to survive,” he describes. “Now I am more careful. I have begun to think of my wife, children, and parents,” he adds.

Bagheera is Murali’s second project with Neel after Ugramm. Neel’s shift to the Telugu film industry after delivering two blockbusters — KGF: Chapter 1(2018) and KGF: Chapter 2 (2022) — upset Kannada film buffs. Many questioned Neel’s loyalty when his film Salaar with Prabhas was announced in 2020.

Murali feels it’s not right to restrict an artiste to one industry. “When our guy is doing well elsewhere, we should feel proud. When I see Neel’s success today, I feel proud and happy that I trusted him when he approached me with the idea of Ugramm. Of course, I want to work with him again, and I wish it happens someday,” he says.

Ugramm made him a star in 2014, but Murali has acted in just five films since the blockbuster. Being reckless in the early phase of his career has taught him harsh lessons. “I don’t mind spending a lot of time on a project I fully believe in. It’s important to be associated with the right team. Of course, producers are asking me to make films faster. I am trying to do that, but I don’t want to hurry and compromise my career,” he signs off.

Bagheera releases in theatres on October 31.