M. G. Srinivas
M. G. Srinivas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Madihalli Gopalakrishna Srinivas 9 July Hassan, Karnataka, India |
| Spouse |
Shruti. I. L (m. 2019) |
| Alma mater | Seshadripuram College |
| Occupation | Actor, 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).
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.
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. 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.
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.
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
| Year | Category | Event name | Work | Award Name | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Best Short Film | Houston International Film Festival | Simply Kailawesome | Platinum Remy award | Won |
| 2022 | Rising Star | Chittara Star Awards | Birbal Trilogy | Chittara Rising star award | Won |
| 2023 | Most Entertaining star of the year | Chithra Santhe Awards | Old Monk | Chithra Santhe Most Entertaining star of the year | Won |
| 2024 | Best Director – Critics | Chithra Santhe Awards | Ghost | Chithra Santhe Best Director – Critics | Won |
| Best Director | South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Director | Nominated | ||
| Best Director | International Indian Film Academy Awards | Best Director | Nominated |
Filmography
As an actor
| Year | Film | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Just Maath Maathalli | Tanu's brother | ||
| Chirru | Chirru's friend | Credited 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
| Year | Film | Credit as | Notes | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | ||||
| 2010 | Simply Kailawesome | Yes | Yes | Short film | |
| 2013 | Topiwala | Yes | No | ||
| 2017 | Srinivasa Kalyana | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2019 | Birbal Trilogy | Yes | Yes | ||
| 2021 | Old Monk | Yes | Yes | Also co-produced the film | [14] |
| 2023 | Ghost | Yes | Yes | [15] | |
| TBA | Birbal 2 † | Yes | Yes | Filming | |
| TBA | A for Anand † | Yes | No | Announced | |
| TBA | Dalavayi † | Yes | No | ||
Business ventures
In 2024, Srini founded AI Samhitha, a company specializing in voice cloning technology.[16]
References
- ^ a b "Director Srinivas married Shruti IL in Mysuru". Times Of India. 30 June 2019. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
- ^ Upendra's Topiwala ready for massive release 13 March 2013
- ^ Srinivasa, Srikanth (14 March 2013). "Topiwala is a political satire". Rediff. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
- ^ Upendra's Topiwala for election time Dec 2012
- ^ [1] Archived 5 October 2023 at the Wayback Machineremi-award.html Simply Kailawesome Wins Remi Award 27 April 2011
- ^ Looking at Simply Kailawesome 6 October 2010
- ^ award for 45 minutes short film Archived 27 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine 28 April 2011
- ^ "'ಓಲ್ಡ್ ಮಾಂಕ್'ಗಾಗಿ ಶ್ರೀನಿ ಜೊತೆ ಕೈ ಜೋಡಿಸಿದ ಅದಿತಿ ಪ್ರಭುದೇವ!". Vijaya Karnataka (in Kannada). 14 April 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ^ "ಓಲ್ಡ್ ಮಾಂಕ್ ಗೆ ಅದಿತಿ ಪ್ರಭುದೇವ ನಾಯಕಿ!". Kannadaprabha (in Kannada). 28 January 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
- ^ "Old Monk will be a stress buster". The Hindu. 24 February 2022. Retrieved 10 April 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ A Sharadhaa (26 February 2022). "Old Monk review: This comedy-drama will definitely lift our spirits". New Indian Express. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- ^ "This quirky comedy drama will give you a 'high'". Deccan Herald. 25 February 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
- ^ a b "Srinivas to start shooting for 'Old Monk' from today". Indian Express. 12 February 2020. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
- ^ a b "Kannada director Sreeni on the movie 'Ghost'". The Hindu. 15 November 2022. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ^ "Ghost director MG Srinivas launches voice cloning". OTTPlay. Retrieved 10 March 2025.