Late actor Srihari was a versatile actor, equally popular for his character roles and as a lead actor. It's been 13 years since his passing. His wife Shanti, popularly known as Disco Shanti, who acted in several films across South India, has been taking care of their two children. Now, both sons are looking to carry forward their parents’ legacy.

“My father is my biggest inspiration to enter the film industry,” says Meghamsh Srihari, whose Aasmaan is all set to hit the screens soon. The teaser of Aasmaan is also set to be unveiled on Wednesday, which marks his birthday. Both his parents are actors, and interestingly, his maternal grandfather, CL Anandan, was a contemporary of legendary actor-politician MG Ramachandran. “Maybe because of that, I always wanted to become an actor. When we were kids, my father had already decided that I would become an actor and my elder brother Shashank would become a director,” says Meghamsh, adding, “My father was always surrounded by people and cameras. Maybe that’s why I never had camera fear from the beginning."

Meghamsh believes his launch into the industry would have been completely different if his father was alive. Srihari passed away when Meghamsh was around 13 years old. “My mother wanted us to become IAS or IPS officers, but I discontinued my college when I got my first acting offer in Rajdooth,” says Meghamsh, who was only 19 when he starred in the film.

Meghamsh also recalled how he transformed himself for a career in films. “I was overweight when I was 13 years old. I knew that if I wanted to be in the industry, I needed to lose weight and get fit. From then onwards, I started working on my weight. It was a difficult process, but once I got used to it, it became very easy,” says the actor, who is also trained in boxing and a few other sports.

He believes Aasmaan came to him for a reason. “I am a complete movie buff. While scrolling through social media, I came across an interesting clipping from an Arabic movie. I found that it was directed by Ram Nandhan, a Telugu filmmaker. Interestingly, the same evening, I received a pitch deck from him. I thought it was a call from the universe,” says Meghamsh.

Aasmaan is based on a true story from Cambodia. “The film is based on that incident. It is a mystic thriller, and I am confident that the film will do well,” says Meghamsh, who believes the film offered him a lot of scope to prove himself as an actor. “After seeing the rushes, I felt that I had acted well in the film,” says the actor, who believes the key to a good performance is the extensive preparation he undertakes before every film. “I always prefer to do workshops before the shoot begins, and I will continue doing them for all my films. Workshops definitely help me deliver better performances."

Meghamsh has also been very clear that he doesn't want to just ride on his father's legacy and sign a bunch of films. “For the last four years, I have been saying ‘no’ to many people who approached me without a proper story. Whether the film is a hit or a flop, I have decided one thing: I don’t want to tarnish my father’s name. Protecting my father’s legacy is a big responsibility. So I am choosing my career in that way,” says Meghamsh, who has already started shooting for his next film. “There are a few projects lined up, and my next film is already in production. But I am in no hurry."

Talking about his late father Srihari, Meghamsh recalled several fond memories. “There are a lot of memories. Though my father was busy with shootings, he always spent time with us. He used to crack jokes and was always chill. Whenever he was around, the atmosphere was always energetic. He was also spontaneous and spoke whatever he thought directly to the person. He was kind and always helped others, doing many good things for people. Whatever time we spent with him is a big memory for us,” says Meghamsh.

With the re-release trend gaining momentum, when asked which of his father’s films he would like to see re-released, Meghamsh says, “Definitely Bhadrachalam, which is my favourite. I like Ganapathi, too, which was the Animal of those times."

When asked about his elder brother Shashank’s plans, Meghamsh says that he is still working on his scripts. “He is taking the family responsibility as the elder son. He wants to make a sequel to Bhadrachalam. He has started writing it and wants to make the film with me,” reveals Meghamsh.

The young actor also shared an interesting update about his upcoming film Aasmaan. “One of my father’s trending songs is going to be remixed in my Aasmaan film. I can’t reveal the song details because we are still finalising the details with the makers of that film, but we are using the song,” says the actor, who lets us in on his fitness details. “Except on weekends, I go to the gym for nearly two hours. I also play a lot of pickleball, as it helps me a lot."

When asked about his favourite genres, he gave an interesting answer. “I like dark comedies, John Wick-kind of action dramas and sports dramas,” says the actor.