The death of Srihari has come as a shocker to several in the industry, most importantly to his fans. It is indeed a very sad moment that we have lost one of the best actors of our time. There was only one Srihari and there always be only one. He can’t be replaced.
Popular Telugu actor Srihari went from being a stunt master to comedian, villain, lead actor and eventually one of the finest character actors of the Telugu industry.
While he may not have impressed audiences with his acts of buffoonery in the initial years of his career, as a villain and comedian he still resides in people’s hearts with his strong character roles in films such as “Dhee”, “Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana” and “Magadheera”.
After years of struggle of playing minor roles, Srihari got his lead role in Mahendar’s 1999 Telugu action-drama “Police”.
In a career spanning two decades, he starred in nearly 100 films. As a lead actor, he was seen as a policeman in a handful of films such as “Okkade”, “Srisailam”, “Dasanna” and “Bhairava”.
As a character actor, he is best remembered for brother and don roles, both negative as well as comic.
One of his finest performances was in Telugu romantic-drama “Nuvvostanante Nenoddantana” – his role as a doting brother to Trisha Krishnan was lauded by audiences and even earned him Nandi as well as Filmfare awards.
In 2009 Telugu blockbuster, Srihari mesmerised everybody with his performance as Sher Khan. The scenes between him and Ram Charan Teja were some of the best moments of the movie.
He also showed his comical side in films such as “King” and “Don Seenu”.
He was one of the fittest actors in the industry.
In 1998, Srihari married Telugu actress ‘Disco’ Shanti, who quit acting after marriage. They were blessed with two sons and daughter named Akshra, who passed away recently.
In the memory of his daughter, Srihari started Akshra Foundation and adopted four villages in Medchal district in Andhra Pradesh.
Srihari recently expressed interest to join politics. He had also announced that he would contest on behalf of Congress party in upcoming elections.
His recent best role was from Ram Charan Teja-starrer “Thoofan”. He essayed Sher Khan, which received thumbs up from audiences and critics alike.
Srihari’s last release as a lead actor was Telugu crime-thriller “Police Game”, which released last week.
