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Karunada Chakravarthy Shiva Rajkumar is on a pan-India roll

After his impressive cameo in 'Jailer', the Sandalwood star will next be seen in Vishnu Manchu's pan-Indian epic tale 'Kannappa'.

ByShashiprasad S M

Published Oct 13, 2023 | 4:31 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 13, 2023 | 4:31 PM

Shivarajkumar in 'Ghost'. (Supplied)

With 125 plus films under his belt, the sensational Kannada actor Dr Shiva Rajkumar, who is fondly referred to as Shivanna by his diehard fans, is on a pan-India roll these days.

After an eye-catching and impressive cameo appearance in Tamil superstar Rajinikanth’s Jailer (2023), Shivanna will now be seen in an epic avatar in the upcoming film of Telugu actor Vishnu Manchu’s pan-India project — Kannappa. It is helmed by Mukesh Kumar Singh.

While the team of Kannappa-A True Epic Indian Tale is yet to reveal the role of Shiva Rajkumar, the Kannada actor has a special connection with the title.

Shiva Rajkumar’s Kannada thespian-father late Dr Rajkumar made his debut in a lead role with the film Bedara Kannappa (1954). It was written by veteran GV Iyer and directed by HLN Simha.

Years later, in 1988, Shiva Rajkumar played the lead role in Shiva Mecchida Kannappa. Directed by noted filmmaker Vijay, the film featured Dr Rajkumar in a cameo as Lord Shiva and senior actress Geetha as Goddess Parvathi.

While rumours have it that Baahubali (2015 & 2017)-fame Prabhas will be playing Lord Shiva in the modern epic tale, Vishnu Manchu is playing the role of Kannappa.

Meanwhile, Shiva Rajkumar and Malayalam star actor Mohanlal will be seen in significant roles in the movie alongside Nayanthara.

Little Birdie also reveals that a star actor from Bollywood, probably Akshay Kumar, shall join the team.

The shooting of Kannappa is underway in New Zealand.

: ‘Bedara Kannappa’ featuring Kannada thespian Dr Rajkumar. (Supplied)

: Shiva Rajkumar as Kannappa in the Kannada film ‘Shiva Mecchida Kannappa’. (Supplied)

: Dr Rajkumar and Geetha as Lord Shiva and Goddesses Parvathi in ‘Shiva Mecchida Kannapa’. (Supplied)

: Actors Mohan Babu and Vishnu Manchu on the sets of ‘Kannappa’. (Supplied)

Related: Ghost teaser: Shiva Rajkumar’s swag leaves fans in OG hangover

Ghost mania

Post the blockbuster hit Jailer where Shivanna played the role of a gangster by the name Narasimha, the actor is awaiting his next biggest release in Kannada titled Ghost on 19 October.

Shivarajkumar will be next seen in ‘Ghost’. (Supplied)

While the expectations with Ghost have certainly skyrocketed, the film is hitting at least 350 screens and is being released in multiple languages — Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Hindi.

Ghost also marks the debut of noted Bollywood actor Anupam Kher in Sandalwood.

Director Srini has also made use of de-ageing technology to show Shivanna in his younger avatar.

Leaving no stone unturned to cash in on the hype around Ghost, a fanfare procession will be organised by Shivanna fans in Mysuru city on the eve of the film’s release.

Shivanna, Ghost producer Sandesh and other unit members will also partake in the procession that will begin at Ittigegud and conclude at the iconic Woodlands Theatres in Mysuru.

Also Read: Welcome to the age of de-ageing — Making star heroes look younger on the silver screen

‘Audience was misled in case of Kabzaa’

Meanwhile, Shiva Rajkumar — known for his bold and straightforwardness — expressed his displeasure over his previous pan-Indian Kannada film Kabzaa (2023).

A poster of the movie ‘Kabzaa’. (Supplied)

During an interaction with a social media platform over the promotion of Ghost, Shivanna expressed his displeasure by saying that he just played a cameo role in Kabzaa but the audience was misled somehow about the same. The impression was given that he was playing one of the major roles in it.

Kabzaa featured Real Star Upendra in the lead with both Shiva Rajkumar and Kiccha Sudeep doing cameo roles.

On the other hand, Shivanna praised the makers of Jailer for making it very clear to the audience that he and Mohanlal were playing a cameo which, in turn, was well-received by the audience.

However, it was not the case in Kabzaa as the makers created so much hype around both Shivanna and Kiccha Sudeep. The audience was disappointed upon learning that the two actors only made a special appearance.

Shiva Rajkumar asserted that he respects R Chandru, the director of Kabzaa. Nevertheless, he felt that things could have been different if the audience and the distributors had been made aware of the cameo roles in the flick.