Murali Sharma with director Mallik Ram on the sets of ‘Super Subbu’
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“Enacting a character is never limited to the cosmetic aspect of the attire and makeup. I spend considerable time understanding the backstory and what shapes the person,” says actor Murali Sharma. One of Telugu cinema’s most prominent choices to portray on-screen father characters, he recently forayed into the streaming space with Netflix’s Telugu web series Super Subbu. With a career-spanning over 130 films, he reiterates that his approach to work remains that of diligence and discipline and not settling into a comfort zone just because he has been accepted by the audience over the years.
Defining the characteristics
In Super Subbu, headlined by Sundeep Kishan, the tension in the relationship between the father and son acts as an undercurrent to the drama. Murali Sharma’s character Kukkuteshwar Rao spews venom and is filled with scorn for his son Subbu, and his body language and mannerism echoes that dismissive gaze towards his son. “Mallik (director Mallik Ram) wanted the father character to be like a dinosaur: threatening, annoying and rigid. So we worked on a characteristic hand gesture and gait to suit the part.”
Super Subbu may be the first series that Murali Sharma signed, but it wasn’t the first that came his way. “Without being pompous, I can recall at least a dozen offers that came my way since the digital boom but I could not take them up. It was either an issue with dates, remuneration or me not being happy with a character,” says Sharma. He was on the lookout for a character that was integral to the central plot. “I wanted one of the top three characters of a story, if I had to do a web series. In Super Subbu, the father-son relationship sets the tone for the rest of Subbu’s journey.”
Murali Sharma had briefly worked with Mallik Ram for the comedy Tillu Square, during which the director broached the subject of the proposed web series. “I worked only for three days on Tillu Square sets but shared a warm equation with Mallik. He is a good writer and as a director, it patient enough to observe and extract the right performances from his actors. At a later date when he narrated the story of Super Subbu, I liked my character and was eager to be a part of it. I had also worked with Sundeep in a few films and we share a warm bond.”
Murali Sharma as Kukkuteshwar Rao in ‘Super Subbu’
| Photo Credit:
Netflix/Special Arrangement
The stigma associated with sex education forms a chunk of the drama and Murali Sharma recalls his school years, in the early 80s, and says he has no recollection of the topic being discussed as part of the curriculum. “Sex education and the hesitancy to discuss it remains relevant even today. I’ve heard Sundeep and Mithila Palkar recall how when they were studying, these classes were conducted separately for girls and boys.”
How much is too much?
With Super Subbu being his first series, Murali Sharma says his approach to work was similar to that of his films. “Once I like the story and I am on board, I keep digging at a character, thinking about it until I arrive at a certain rhythm of how that character would behave. The rest happens intuitively. I think I am gifted with some measure of wisdom to gauge if I am going overboard and dial down, without making a character appear caricaturish.”
Getup Srinu, Sundeep Kishan and Mithila Palkar in ‘Super Subbu’
| Photo Credit:
Netflix/Special Arrangement
He explains with an example, recalling his striking performance as Valmiki, the disgruntled father in Trivikram Srinivas’s Ala Vaikunthapurramulooled by Allu Ajrun. “Valmiki is annoying, irritating but also entertaining. The character was written and designed such that even though the audience may not like him, they would want to see more of him. For that character, I would speak keeping my jaw slightly protruded. Trivikram would tell me if I overdid that mannerism and we would try to tone it down. Similarly, Mallik Ram would observe and fine tune my gait in Super Subbu.”
Through the filming of the series, there were improvisations on set. “Mallik would come up with fine changes the previous evening and the dialogues would be better than what has already been written. I believe that the magic happens in these hours and in the time between action and cut, allowing some room for improvements.”
Currently, Murali Sharma is working on a handful of films in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Marathi. The Telugu films include the Chiranjeevi-starrer directed by Bobby, director Pavan Sadineni’s Aakasamlo Oka Taarastarring Dulquer Salmaan, director Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit starring Prabhas and Mahakali directed by Puja Kolluru. In Tamil, he stars alongside Karthi, Atharva Murali and Arya. If he is flooded with offers and has to sift through to choose characters that do not typecast him, the actor considers it a boon. “When I began my career in the 90s, I did not know I would have such a career with diverse roles across languages. It has been more than a dream come true and I am filled with gratitude. I work extremely hard and hope to die with my boots on. There are times when directors tell me that they haven’t named my character but have written my name in the script. What more can I ask for?”
Published – July 08, 2026 08:30 am IST
