Sivaji Ganesan, Amitabh Bachchan and now Srinath

If he has the passion, she is the support that drives him to fulfill it. Despite being married for over four decades, Srinath still seems to be the Pranaya Raja of his wife Geetha, and he credits her for all the success that he has achieved. The couple team up for the upcoming film Suli, which stars Srinath and has been co-produced by Geetha, along with their friend and producer TS Sathyanarayan.Ahead of the release of the film, the couple spoke to us about why it was important for them to start their own company, and who is the boss at home and on the set. Excerpts'
They say that behind every successful man is a woman. Is this true with you?
Srinath (S): Ours was a love marriage. I met Geetha when she was 16 and was in PU in MES College. I had done a couple of movies by then and used to wait outside her college, so I didn't allow her to see anyone else, and she's happily stuck with me all these years. As a filmstar, I used to be away on shoots for 20-25 days a month, so I wasn't around to see my kids grow up. Geetha took care of everything at home, and I never had to worry about anything. She also kept me grounded at the height of my success. We faced a lot of ups and downs, but she has always been by my side. People ask me how I still look youthful today, and I tell them that it is because of my wife, who never let me worry about anything.
Geetha, what made you want to become a part of Suli?
Geetha (G): I have co-produced other movies in the past, but I started our company, Deeya Communications, for him (Srinath). In all other film industries, there are age-appropriate roles for people in their 70s. Here, I see many people casting young actors and making them wear wigs for elderly roles; that takes away from the charm of the character. Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Sivaji Ganesan and Amitabh Bachchan have all had good roles. We also want to make such movies.
S: Instead of waiting for a producer, we thought that it's best if we only make such films.
G: Whether it's a small film or a big film, whether it will run or not, is not in our hands. We need to make a good film. Srinath has tried something different with Suli, and the next role he does should be better and different. He should get a chance to essay all kinds of roles. And he will get to do that with this company.

What was your working relationship like?
S: We are like all other couples, and we also fight. In fact, we fought 10 minutes before you came (laughs). But it is a good working relationship.
G: We fought about the getup for his look in Suli. His character sports a beard in the movie, and I wanted it to be authentic, as a fake beard wouldn't look nice. We fought a lot about that.
So, who is the boss on the set and at home?
G: On the set, he is the boss. He is the boss at home as well, but he tells everyone that I'm the boss. Whatever I say, he is the one who has to finally say 'yes'. But the way I ask, he has to say yes (laughs).
S: Many issues will get solved if this is how things are in every house. If she solves a problem, then that is one thing less that I have to worry about. That is life. People may say that he only listens to what his wife says, but my everyday life is good because of that, and that's all that matters to me.

Did having Geetha onboard make things easier?
S: Yes.
G: The director (PH Vishwanath) used to call me to discuss several things, including Srianth's role and getup. And he wanted me to tell Srinath how to do certain things. I used to tell Vishwa to ask him to do those things, as Srinath and I would end up fighting. But the director insisted that I talk to Srinath as he would listen to me if I asked him to do something.