Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it was reported that director Narthan would direct Kannada star Shivarajkumar in Bhairathi Ranagal, which was announced to be the star’s 125th film. However, the outbreak of the pandemic has changed the equations, we hear.
Clarifying the issue, the director said in an interview with the New Indian Express that directing Shivanna is his “responsibility”. He said, “Directing Shivanna is my responsibility, and he has also liked and approved the storyline. This was a project we had planned just after Mufti, but we couldn’t take off at that time. Shivanna got involved with other commitments, and I also got busy with my project with Yash, on which I have been working over the last year. The number doesn’t matter, and whether it is Shivanna’s 125th or not, I will be directing Bhairathi Ranagal for him immediately after I complete my present commitment with Yash.”
The director added that the story of Bhairathi Ranagal is ready, and all that is needed is to take it to sets. However, the team is progressing slowly due to budget issues, in light of the massive scale of the project.
It may be noted that Shivarajkumar played the role of Bhairathi Ranagal in the hit Kannada film Mufti, which became an iconic role in the industry. Mufti, which hit the screens 2017, was directed by Narthan and bankrolled by Jayanna and Bhogendra under the banner Jayanna Combines. Ravi Basrur had composed music for this venture with Naveen Kumar wielding the camera and Harish Komme editing. This neo-noir action crime thriller film had the lead star playing the leader of a mob.
Shivarajkumar currently has two films-- Bhajarangi 2 and RDX – waiting for release.
Harsha is wielding the megaphone for Bhajarangi 2, marking the third-time collaboration between him and Shivarajkumar. The film will have Bhavana sharing the screen space with Shivarajkumar. The technical crew of Bhajarangi 2 will comprise Arjun Janya for music composition, J Swamy to handle the camera and Deepu S Kumar for editing.
RDX, aka RD Xavier, will have Shivanna appearing in the title role. Touted to be a cop drama, it will be directed by Ravi Arasu. RDX was launched on February 19, 2020, which marked Shivarajkumar’s 35th year in the Kannada film industry. Ravi Arasu is wielding the megaphone for this venture, with the dialogues penned by Chandramouli. The rest of the technical crew includes Charan Raj for music and M Saravanan for cinematography with Rajasekar choreographing the stunts and Durairaj taking care of the art direction. Sathya Jyothi Films will be bankrolling RDX.
Further, it has been reported already that the first schedule of the Shivarajkumar starrer has been wrapped up. RDX is being directed by the cinematographer-turned-
(Content provided by Digital Native)