Hero’s Bold Move Against Kanguva Paid Off!

Kannada superstar Shivaraj Kumar, who is fondly called as Shivanna, is trying to expand his popularity beyond Karnataka by portraying meaty characters in other languages like Telugu and Tamil. He appeared in a cameo in Rajinikanth’s Jailer and made a big impact despite having a brief screen time. Up next, he will play a significant role in Ram Charan’s new pan-India film RC16 with director Buchi Babu Sana. He was also approached for a prominent character in Thalapathy Vijay’s 69th film, but there is no official update so far.

In the meantime, Shivaraj Kumar’s latest outing Bhairathi Ranagal is heading towards hit status at the box office. Despite having a limited release only in Karnataka due to Suriya’s pan-India biggie Kanguva, the crime thriller which is a prequel to his 2017 blockbuster Mufti has notched up impressive numbers in the opening weekend and set to emerge a profitable venture for its buyers.

Though many films backed out due to the strong buzz on Kanguva, Shivaraj Kumar decided to release Bhairathi Ranagal only in Karnataka with full confidence and his brave decision seems to have paid off very well as the film is likely to secure hit status with an impressive run.

Director Narthan once again designed an ultra mass character for Shivanna on the lines of Mufti and delivered a emotional drama which struck a chord with the moviegoers. Despite its formulaic set-up with a routine commerical backdrop, the film received good response because of the presentation and treatment by the director.

The story unfolds in a fictional village of Ronapura which lacks basic facilities and witnesses so many atrocities. So, Shivaraj Kumar turns from a juvenile prisoner to a go-gooder lawyer to set things right in the village. He shouldered the entire film with his mass aura and charismatic screen presence. The thumping background score of Ravi Basrur elevated the film. Buoyed by its success in Karnataka, the makers are planning to release it in Telugu very soon.