M. G. Srinivas

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M. G. Srinivas
MG Srinivas1.jpg
Personal details
Born
Madihalli Gopalakrishna Srinivas

9 July
Hassan, Karnataka, India
Spouse
Shruti. I. L
(m. 2019)
[1]
Alma mater Seshadripuram College
OccupationActor, director, screenwriter

M. G. Srinivas is an Indian actor, film director and screenwriter who works in Kannada cinema. He made his debut as a director in the Kannada film industry with Topiwala (2013), a commercial entertainer starring Upendra. He made his debut as a lead actor in Srinivasa Kalyana (2017).

Contents

Srinivas first became a radio jockey with his show on 93.5 RED FM, Blade Raja. He did short films. His first short film Rules, has the distinction of being screened at Australia's Bollywood and Beyond Film Festival. His next project, Simply Kailawesome, won him the Platinum Remi Award at the Houston Film Festival. The film centers itself around the life and literary works of renowned Kannada writer T P Kailasam. It was also this very film that caught Upendra's attention, following which Topiwala happened. This led to his first feature Topiwala , with Upendra in the lead. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

Early life and background

He was educated at Bangalore's Presidency School. After completing his graduation and acquiring his BSc degree from Seshadripuram College.

He began his career as a background dancer for various shows before transitioning to dance choreography. In 2007, he joined 93.5 93.5 RED FM as a professional radio jockey. His morning prime time show Blade Raja became one of the station's most popular programs during that period.

Personal life

He married Shruti IL, a journalist, on 30 June 2019 in Mysore. [1]

Film career

Alongside his radio jockey career, Srinivas started making short films. His first short movie was Rules, which grabbed attention for its slapstick comedy intertwined with a satirical tone on speed breakers. This film was officially screened in the Australian Film Festival, Bollywood & Beyond [ disambiguation needed ].

Following this stint, Srinivas trained at Abhinaya Taranga to learn the nuances of acting. He made his second short film Simply Kailawesome, which was based on TP Kailasam's works[ citation needed ]. He essayed the lead role in the film. Simply Kailawesome's win of the Platinum Remi Award at the Houston Film Festival, paved way for a formal introduction to Kannada superstar Upendra. Srinivas then went on to direct Topiwala for Upendra and the film opened to a positive response.[ citation needed ]

He next directed a romantic comedy, Srinivasa Kalyana , produced by Bharat Jain under Mars Films. This movie also saw Srinivas making his commercial movie debut as a lead actor. However, Srinivas was first seen as an actor in Sudeep directorial, Just Maath Maathalli . In this 2010 Kannada movie, he played as Ramya's music freak brother.

Srinivasa Kalyana opened to positive reviews across the state. Deccan Chronicle gave the movie a 3/5 and praised the movie for its light-hearted comedy and youthful charm which showed a complex philosophical thought in a simple manner. Times of India rated the film a 3.5/5 and praised the sassy touch to this candy-floss romance.[ citation needed ]

His next venture was the crime thriller Birbal Trilogy. The trilogy consisted of Case 1: Finding Vajramuni, followed by Case 2: Avrn bitt, Ivrn bitt, Ivryaru?, and lastly Case 3: Turremane . Birbal Trilogy Case 1: Finding Vajramuni released in January 2019, and starred Srinivas and Rukmini Vasanth in the lead roles. Sujay Shastry, Suresh Heblikar, and Madhusudhan Rao are also, seen in prominent roles.

Srinivas completed the film Old Monk. The film features MG Srinivas, Aditi Prabhudeva [8] [9] in the lead roles. The film's title was inspired from the popular alcohol beverage brand, but it also means "Hale Sanyasi" in Kannada. [10] Veteran actor Rajesh, made a special cameo appearance in the film. The film was released on 25 February 2022. Critics praised the direction, comedy, writing, dialogue and performance of the film. [11] [12] Music Director duo Saurabh and Vaibhav collaborate a second time with Srinivas after Birbal, and are one of the producers of the movie. [13]

His next film was Ghost, which is an Indian Kannada-language action heist thriller film written and directed by Srini, and produced by Sandesh Nagraj under Sandesh Productions banners. The film stars Shiva Rajkumar, Prashant Narayanan, Jayaram, Anupam Kher, and Archana Jois. The film was officially announced in 2022 under the Sandesh Nagraj Productions Sandalwood. The film was released theatrically on 19 October 2023, coinciding with Dussehra. It is the second installment of a cinematic universe following Birbal Trilogy Case 1: Finding Vajramuni in which Srinivas reprises his role as Mahesh Das. The film received positive reviews from critics.

Awards

YearCategoryEvent nameWorkAward NameResult
2011Best Short Film Houston International Film Festival Simply Kailawesome Platinum Remy awardWon
2022Rising StarChittara Star Awards Birbal Trilogy Chittara Rising star awardWon
2023Most Entertaining star of the yearChithra Santhe Awards Old Monk Chithra Santhe Most Entertaining star of the yearWon
2024Best Director – CriticsChithra Santhe Awards Ghost Chithra Santhe Best Director – CriticsWon
Best Director South Indian International Movie Awards Best DirectorNominated
Best Director International Indian Film Academy Awards Best DirectorNominated

Filmography

As an actor

YearFilmRoleNotesRef.
2010 Just Maath Maathalli Tanu's brother
Chirru Chirru's friendCredited as Srini Dilip
Simply Kailawesome T. P. Kailasam Short film
2017 Srinivasa Kalyana Srinivas aka Lakshmi Kantha Baalu
2019 Birbal Trilogy Mahesh Das
Ranganayaki Krishna Murthy
2021 Old Monk Appanna / Narada [14]
2023 Ghost Mahesh Das [15]
TBA Birbal 2 Filming

As a director

YearFilmCredit asNotesRef.
DirectorWriter
2010 Simply Kailawesome YesYesShort film
2013 Topiwala YesNo
2017 Srinivasa Kalyana YesYes
2019 Birbal Trilogy YesYes
2021 Old Monk YesYesAlso co-produced the film [14]
2023 Ghost YesYes [15]
TBA Birbal 2 YesYesFilming
TBA A for Anand YesNoAnnounced
TBA Dalavayi YesNo

Business ventures

In 2024, Srini founded AI Samhitha, a company specializing in voice cloning technology. [16]

References

  1. 1 2 "Director Srinivas married Shruti IL in Mysuru". Times Of India. 30 June 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  2. Upendra's Topiwala ready for massive release 13 March 2013
  3. Srinivasa, Srikanth (14 March 2013). "Topiwala is a political satire". Rediff. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  4. Upendra's Topiwala for election time Dec 2012
  5. Archived 5 October 2023 at the Wayback Machine remi-award.html Simply Kailawesome Wins Remi Award 27 April 2011
  6. Looking at Simply Kailawesome 6 October 2010
  7. award for 45 minutes short film Archived 27 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine 28 April 2011
  8. "'ಓಲ್ಡ್‌ ಮಾಂಕ್‌'ಗಾಗಿ ಶ್ರೀನಿ ಜೊತೆ ಕೈ ಜೋಡಿಸಿದ ಅದಿತಿ ಪ್ರಭುದೇವ!". Vijaya Karnataka (in Kannada). 14 April 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  9. "ಓಲ್ಡ್ ಮಾಂಕ್ ಗೆ ಅದಿತಿ ಪ್ರಭುದೇವ ನಾಯಕಿ!". Kannadaprabha (in Kannada). 28 January 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
  10. "Old Monk will be a stress buster". The Hindu. 24 February 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
  11. Sunayana Suresh (25 February 2022). "Old Monk Movie Review: A clever and entertaining comedy, after a long time". Times Of India. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  12. A Sharadhaa (26 February 2022). "Old Monk review: This comedy-drama will definitely lift our spirits". New Indian Express. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  13. "This quirky comedy drama will give you a 'high'". Deccan Herald. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  14. 1 2 "Srinivas to start shooting for 'Old Monk' from today". Indian Express. 12 February 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  15. 1 2 "Kannada director Sreeni on the movie 'Ghost'". The Hindu. 15 November 2022. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  16. "Ghost director MG Srinivas launches voice cloning". OTTPlay. Retrieved 10 March 2025.