The cast of A for Anand continues to grow, with seasoned actor Murali Sharma joining the sets of the upcoming Kannada film starring Shivarajkumar and Raveena Tandon. The makers welcomed the actor to the project with a video shared on social media, offering a glimpse of his interaction with director Srini and members of the technical crew at the shooting location.

Announcing his addition to the ensemble, the team expressed its enthusiasm about working with the versatile performer. The post read, “Welcoming the powerhouse of talent and immense versatility, Murali Sharma garu, to the sets of A for Anand.

Murali Sharma has established himself as a familiar presence across Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Kannada cinema, often bringing considerable weight to supporting and character roles. While the makers have yet to reveal details about his character in A for Anand, his inclusion adds another experienced performer to a cast that already features some notable names from the Indian film industry.

The film has begun production in Bengaluru, with the team bringing together actors from different cinematic industries for a project that is being positioned as an emotional drama. Although details about the storyline remain under wraps, the casting announcements have steadily raised interest in the film.

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Murali Sharma joins an expanding ensemble

Shivarajkumar and Raveena Tandon are among the principal attractions of A for Anand. The film marks the first time the two actors will share screen space, bringing together the Kannada superstar and the Bollywood actor for a new collaboration.

For Shivarajkumar, the project also reunites him with director Srini following their earlier association on Ghost, the heist thriller. The filmmaker is now working on a different kind of story, with A for Anand described as an emotional drama featuring a sizeable ensemble.

Murali Sharma’s arrival adds to the film’s growing roster of performers. Known for his work across multiple languages, the actor has built a career playing a wide range of characters, from authoritative figures to antagonists and supporting roles that contribute significantly to a film’s narrative. His experience across industries also makes him a natural addition to a project bringing together talent from different backgrounds.

The makers have not disclosed the nature of his role, leaving audiences to speculate about how his character will fit into the story. Whether he plays a central figure or a supporting character, his casting signals the team’s intention to build a substantial ensemble around its lead actors.

A for Anand will also feature a group of children, suggesting that the film’s emotional narrative will extend beyond its principal adult characters. However, the makers are yet to share further details about the plot or the relationships at the centre of the story.

A for Anand begins its Bengaluru schedule

Directed by Srini, A for Anand officially went on floors earlier this month with an inaugural ceremony held at the Presidency University campus in Bengaluru. The production has since moved into its shooting schedule, with the latest announcement confirming Murali Sharma’s participation.

The film is being produced by Geetha Shivarajkumar under the Geetha Pictures banner. The technical team includes composer Arjun Janya, cinematographer Mahendra Simha and editor Deepu S Kumar.

With Shivarajkumar returning to work with Srini after Ghost and sharing the screen with Raveena Tandon for the first time, the film brings together several elements that set it apart within the Kannada star’s upcoming slate. The addition of Murali Sharma further strengthens its ensemble, even as the makers continue to keep the finer details of the narrative confidential.

For now, A for Anand remains an intriguing project, with its emotional-drama premise, multi-industry cast and the promise of a sizeable ensemble forming the basis of audience interest. More details about the characters, storyline and release plans are expected as production progresses.

Also Read: Raveena Tandon Joins Shivarajkumar For MG Srinivas’ A For Anand

I first saw Srividya in what is now Chennai. I had gone to see a film with R. K. Shekhar, A. R. Rahman’s father. She was a young girl of 13 or 14. Shekhar told me she was the daughter of M. L. Vasanthakumari and had danced in a Tamil film. He predicted a bright future for her.

Years later, I was making a film for producer Subramaniam Kumar. He suggested that it would be good to cast Madhu sir and Srividya in the lead roles. But there is a history to that which I must get into. Just a year earlier, she had married George Thomas. She had acted in a film called Theekanal and fallen in love with its producer. She had decided that she would not act in films after marriage.

It was only after the wedding that she realised she had been conned and that her husband was not the rich man he had made himself out to be. He was merely a benami for the actual producer of Theekanal. So she was forced to return to films. Around that time, she had also had a sort of face-off with her Theekanal co-star, Madhu sir, and had given a statement to magazines saying that she would not act with him again.

In this scenario, I offered her my film Venalil Oru Mazha. To my surprise, she said she had absolutely no problem working with Madhu sir. I checked with Madhu sir about working with Srividya, and he also confirmed that he had no problems with her. They became very good friends again and went on to work together in many films, including five of mine.
 

Srividya and I worked together in six films: Jeevitham Oru Gaanam, Puthiya Velicham (a remake of the Meena Kumari-Dharmendra starrer Phool Aur Patthar), Ambalavilakku (the first Malayalam film to be shot in Kashmir), Swantham Ennu Padam and Aakramanam, among others.

According to me, Jeevitham Oru Gaanam is one of her finest performances. She won the Kerala State Film Award for the film. Her portrayal of Thresiamma is unforgettable. We had a slight misunderstanding during the making of the film. After that, I made a statement in a film magazine saying that I would never work with Srividya again. She retaliated by saying, “Sreekumaran Thampi is not Satyajit Ray, so it’s okay if he doesn’t want to work with me.” We had three more films under production, so, like professionals, we completed all our films together.

You see, I was a strict director, and I had certain principles that did not sit well with some people. I recall my first film as a director, Chandrakantam. The actress Jayabharathi did not want to wear the paavada (skirt) I had selected for her. I said, “Nothing doing. You have to wear what I decide.” And that was that.

My son was a child artiste who worked in 22 of my films. I did not let him work with other filmmakers. Anyway, to cut a long story short, in our last film together, Swantham Ennu Padam, my eight-year-old son played Srividya’s son. On the day we completed the film, she requested a photograph with him on her lap and me beside them. She predicted that he would become a good actor. She said something that moved me immensely: “When he grows up and becomes an actor, I’d like to play his mother.” All my anger and differences with her simply evaporated.

She was keen to act in another of my films, Gaanam. However, I felt the role was too similar to her character in Apoorva Raagangal, so I cast Lakshmi instead.

Years later, when my son turned 22, I made a one-hour television film with him. It was called Ammede Magan, a story written by my son himself. It required an actress to play the mother. The story was about a washerwoman whose son becomes a policeman. It was quite moving.

I remembered what Srividya had told me years earlier, so I called her. She was shooting in Munnar at the time. She told me she would take two days out of her hectic schedule and come to shoot for me. And she did! After two days of shooting, she refused to accept the money I offered her. But I insisted that, as a producer, I had to pay her. The film is still available on YouTube. It was also shown in two episodes on Doordarshan at the time.

The last time I worked with her was on the television serial Amma Thampuraatti. When I conceived the character, I knew that only Srividya could play an aristocratic woman of around 45 from a tharavadu (ancestral home).

She was suffering from cancer at the time, though she seemed to be getting better. In those days, Ganesh Kumar was handling her work. I had several differences of opinion with him. I quoted an amount for the television series, but she asked for double that sum. However, I was convinced that she was perfectly suited to the role and was keen that she alone should play it, so I agreed to the remuneration.

The cancer returned, and I could see that she was suffering. Some days, shooting became difficult. But as old-school filmmakers, we know certain techniques to camouflage an actor’s absence. I shot her portions without ever using a body double.

Anyway, we shot around 48 or 49 episodes. She came to dub her portions at the dubbing studio, and I felt she was incoherent. The words seemed to roll off her tongue vaguely. Although she could not tell that she was slurring, I knew something was wrong and asked her to go to the hospital immediately. She was admitted. She never returned.

The next day, I went to the hospital where she had been admitted. A Telugu-speaking female attendant told me that only Ganesh Kumar and I were allowed to enter. I went in and saw her undergoing a blood transfusion. Her face and body had turned black, like the deity at the Madhura Meenakshi Temple. We spoke for a while, and then she held my hand and said, “Thank you for everything.” She knew she was dying.

After the 49th episode, I appeared on camera and told the audience that Amma Thampuraatti was no more. I stopped the serial then and there. I incurred a loss of 8 lakhs, but I could not continue without Srividya.

What I liked most about Srividya was that, unlike many other actors, she was a voracious reader. It showed in her performances. There was something deeply educated about the way she emoted. She read Tamil writers such as Akilan. In fact, when she was shooting with me for a film, she introduced me to Ponniyin Selvan by giving me two books. Thirty-five years later, Mani Ratnam adapted it into a film.

Also Read: Balachandra Menon: “When She Walked, She Had a Dancer’s Grace, As Her Feet Touched The Earth Gently”

The new thriller drama, Pooja Meri Jaan, is finally out and streaming on Zee5, receiving a lot of love from fans for its gripping narrative and the themes of a relationship it has explored, be it rejection, obsession, consent, and most importantly accountability.

The film speaks on a different topic, bringing to light the difficulties of obsessive love for your partner. The type of love strong enough to lure you into making questionable decisions.

 At the helm, we see Vikram Singh Chauhan (Aniket) and his undying love for his partner Pooja Dogra (Mrunal Thakur). Upon being surprised with a proposal from his long-time boyfriend, Aniket, the free-spirited Pooja rejects him, sending him into a state of turmoil.

His sense of being void of further reasoning lures him into committing suicide, before which he leaves a note confessing her to be the reason behind it. Facing the heat of public outrage, she must now take the help of a lawyer, Sana Mehfooz (Huma Qureshi), who must in some way try to help her navigate through the situation amidst all the backlash.

Speaking on how such events could have an everlasting effect, Mrunal Thakur opened up about her own personal experiences from her younger days. She reflected on a situation which involved two of her close friends. She said, “There were days where two best friends used to like me. When I said ‘no’ to both of them, they started calling me names.”

Mrunal continued, “When I turned 25 or 26, I confronted them about this, and they were like, ‘We had no idea that we bullied you,’ and they apologised to me after almost more than a decade.”

You can watch the trailer for Pooja Meri Jaan here:

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Vikram Singh Chauhan On Pooja Meri Jaan, Camaraderie With Mrunal Thakur And More