Shiva Rajkumar: Bairagee’s Shivappa is not the hero; he’s one of many characters that travel together

Shiva Rajkumar’s first release since Bhajarangi 2, Bairagee is coming to theatres on July 1. Ahead of the release, the Century Star addressed the media last evening, and one of the things discussed was whether the film revolves around his character Shivappa, his rivalry with Dhananjaya or friendship with Pruthvi Ambaar, etc., given that he film has an ensemble cast. “Bairagee is not about the hero, it is about his relationship dynamics with the people around him. But more importantly, this is a film about emotions,” said the actor, adding, “Every character has a trajectory in the narrative and how Shivappa travels with each of them is what makes up the story. Also, although the film has a serious tone to it, there is a lot of situational comedy, which makes it an interesting watch.”

Bairagee is Shiva Rajkumar’s 123rd film as a leading man, so, naturally, the question that arose is as to what attracted him to the film and this role. “I quite liked the character because of his simplicity. It’s a simple character, but not easy. The emotions that drive him and the obstacles he faces and overcomes, all of that seemed very interesting, especially in the second half of the film,” he said.

Shiva Rajkumar’s Hulivesha look in the film has been widely discussed and while the actor did not dwell on that much giving credit to the team that designed the look, he did mention that there are three major action blocks in this film. “The fights by Supreme Sundar have been designed well, keeping in mind the strengths of the character – he jumps a lot like a tiger, so that’s been incorporated into the action,” he added.

Bairagee, produced by Krishna Sarthak, is Tamil filmmaker Vijay Milton’s debut Kannada film. It has music by Anoop Seelin and stars Pruthvi Ambaar, Yasha Shivakumar, Dhananjaya, Chikkanna, Anjali, and Shashikumar, among others.