Shivarajkumar: I wanted to work with Ghost director Srinivas a long time ago, but it’s come together only now

Ghost, which releases in theatres on October 19, is Hattrick Hero Shivarajkumar’s first collaboration with actor-filmmaker MG Srinivas. The action heist thriller, though, is not the first time that the duo contemplated working together. “I’ve known Srini since my film Shiva. He had done a photo shoot for the film. Thereafter, I have been closely associated with his movies, whether it is to launch the songs or trailer. There have also been a couple of scripts that we discussed to work on, but at the time, I was not sure if I as an actor and my audience was ready to have me experiment with roles to such an extent. These were unusual scripts for that time and I was not sure whether to take a risk with such films. I don’t think audiences were as progressive and accepting as they are today back then,” says Shivarajkumar.

MG Srinivas on Ghost: I wrote the script of the action heist thriller with Shivarajkumar in mind

In the last 6-7 years though, the Century Star has stopped worrying about such factors and has been picking scripts that appeal to him and are in sync with the times and trends in vogue. Ghost, he says, is one such that is for today’s audiences. The beauty of Ghost, he says is that it is a fast-paced film. “These days, it is very difficult making people sit through a film that is nearly three hours long. Ghost has a non-linear narrative that has interesting links between plot points, all of which is presented in good momentum,” he adds.

Ghost: Is the de-aged portion of Shivarajkumar set in present time? 

Ghost, he says, was shot in about 74-75 days, an experience that Shivarajkumar found very interesting, so much so that he is quite kicked about figuring out how and when to begin working on the sequel. “Ghost is a complete film by itself, but the character has so many dimensions and variations to it that I am intrigued about what we can do with him next,” he says.