Exclusive Interview: Superstar Rajinikanth calls me a brother, but he is like a father figure to me, says Shiva Rajkumar

On his much-awaited debut Tamil film Jailer, Shiva Rajkumar said that the director, Nelson Dilipkumar, had his character written as a cameo in Jailer after watching by his Kannada film Mufti in which he played Bharathi Ranagal, a crime boss.

PathuThala starring Silambarasan TR, is the remake of the Kannada film Mufti.

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Cameo in Jailer

Dr. Shiva Rajkumar with Superstar Rajinikanth. (twitter/nimmashivanna)

“Nelson said the character was written with me in mind after watching Mufti. When Superstar shared the same with me, I just had to be a part of the film. Moreover, working in Rajinikanth’s film is altogether a different experience and a great joy,” says Shiva Rajkumar, adding that Superstar Rajinikanth, who calls him his brother, is like a father figure to him.

He goes on to confirm that it is going to be a cameo appearance.

“The director has written the cameo role so well that despite being short, it will have a great impact as a whole in the film. Nelson has not just written it beautifully, but even shot it extraordinarily. Every aspect of it has been dealt with meticulously as if it were to be a full-fledged role.”

Shiva Rajkumar will be rejoining the Jailer team, which is busy shooting near Mangaluru, on 13 February. He will be shooting for his combination scenes with Rajinikanth for a couple of days.

Insofar his other Tamil film Captain Miller is concerned, Shiva Rajkumar confirms that he will soon be shooting for the movie which has Dhanush in the lead.

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Bhairathi Ranagal — a prequel and sequel

Shiva Rajkumar as Bhairathi Ranagal in the Kannada film Mufti that released in 2017. (Supplied)

Released in 2017, Narthan-directed Kannada film Mufti with Shiva Rajkumar in the lead was an instant success. Finally, the most awaited film based on the popular character played by Shiva Rajkumar in Mufti, and eponymously titled Bhairathi Ranagal, will soon hit the floors.

Shiva Rajkumar said that Bhairathi Ranagal will have some interesting plots.

“The first half of the film will be the prequel of the character Bhairathi Ranagal and the second half its sequel. Also, there will be other surprises,” he says.

Vedha in Telugu and Tamil

Moments from pre release event of #ShivaVedha in #Hyderabad | Thank you @NBK_Unofficial Garu for gracing the event #ShivaVedha@NimmaShivanna @ArjunJanyaMusic @ZeeStudios_ @NimmaAHarsha @SagarAdithi @SwethaChangappa #GanaviLaxman @NBK_Unofficial @zeestudiossouth pic.twitter.com/wZ1k44PqGh

— Geetha Pictures (@GeethaPictures) February 8, 2023

After the success of Vedha in Kannada, directed by Harsha, Shiva Rajkumar said that dubbed versions of the film in Telugu and Tamil will be released shortly.

“I have dubbed for the Tamil version. I could do it very easily and at one stretch. But we did not have enough time and hence I could not dub it in my voice for the Telugu version. It was such a great gesture of Balayya garu, who came for out event; the kind of support and love showered upon our team by the Telugu audience has been simply amazing. I thank them for such a great reception,” says Shiva Rajkumar.

That apart, Shiva Rajkumar has Ghost, an action-thriller that is getting ready to hit the screens shortly. Directed by MG Srinivas and also starring Malayalam actor Jayaram, the film is bankrolled by politician and filmmaker Sandesh Nagaraj.

Make way for ya’ man #GHOST.
Presenting you the MotionPoster of #GHOST..
shooting in progress@lordmgsrinivas @ArjunJanyaMusic@SandeshPro@baraju_SuperHit pic.twitter.com/GGLr3Caxcg

— DrShivaRajkumar (@NimmaShivanna) January 1, 2023