Shraddha Srinath is super confident about the success of ‘Daaku Maharaaj’

"She’s a composed and soft-spoken yet courageous character. Commercial cinema is often about looking pretty with limited scope for performance, but in this film, I got to do both. It was a challenging role, and I thoroughly enjoyed it," shared the actor about her character

The upcoming film ‘Daaku Maharaaj’ starring Nandamuri Balakrishna in the lead is gearing up for a worldwide release on January 12, as part of the Sankranti offering. The movie clashes at the box-office with Ram Charan’s ‘Game Changer’ and Venkatesh’s ‘Sankranthiki Vasthunam’. Actor Shraddha Srinath has recently interacted with the media as part of the movie promotions, and shared her thoughts, insights and experience of working in the film.

Having been in the industry for over a decade, Shraddha has worked with multiple stars, across languages. Speaking about what’s unique about Nandamuri Balakrishna, she said, “Despite being in the industry for decades, Balakrishna sir remains curious and innocent in his approach. He genuinely listens to what the director wants to convey without any starry inhibitions. He surrenders himself completely to the director’s vision, which is very rare for a star of his stature.”

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On choosing ‘Daaku Maharaaj’

On why she chose to be a part of this film, she shared, “The films I’ve done so far are mostly subtle, serious, or thrillers. But ‘Daaku Maharaaj’ is different. Being part of a Balakrishna film means the entire world will be watching me. For me, it’s an opportunity to showcase my talent to a wider audience. It’s a do-or-die opportunity, and I am determined to give my best.”

Sharing that she plays Nandini, Shraddha elaborated on her character. “She’s a composed and soft-spoken yet courageous character. She knows when to speak and what to say. My role has a lot of emotional depth. Commercial cinema is often about looking pretty with limited scope for performance, but in this film, I got to do both. It was a challenging role, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.”

Answering a question on ‘reference points’ for her character, the actor said, “Bobby garu had a clear vision of how my character should look on screen. We did extensive research and put a lot of effort into the look and costumes, down to details like nail polish.”

Shraddha, who dubbed for the role herself, said that she is “super confident about this film”. “I truly believe it will have a very positive impact on my career.”

Working with Balakrishna

Talking about her experience of working with a senior actor like Balakrishna, she said, “His energy surpasses all of ours combined. He’s so cool and asked me to call him ‘Bala’ instead of ‘sir’, though I didn’t have the courage to do so. He jokes around on set, but when the camera rolls, he transforms into his character effortlessly.”

About her second collaboration with Sithara Entertainments after ‘Jersey’, which had Nani in the lead, she said, “I feel they have a lot of trust in me. They gave me one memorable film with ‘Jersey’, and I’m thrilled to be working with them again for ‘Daaku Maharaaj’. I look forward to being associated with them for more films. Their lineup is always exciting, with the perfect mix of content and entertainment.”

Shraddha was all praise for director Bobby Kolli and said that he is “extremely passionate and has an incredible understanding of acting”. “I often joke that I want to learn acting from him. Initially, I wasn’t sure if I could pull off this character, but I followed his instructions and trusted his vision. I’ll always be grateful to him for believing in me,” she concluded.