Bhairathi Ranagal, the character played by Shivarajkumar, was first introduced in the 2017 film Mufti. He is now getting a backstory with a self-titled movie that’s releasing on November 15.
Last Updated: 01.29 PM, Nov 12, 2024
Bhairathi Ranagal is a prequel – a film that delves into the early life of the character from Mufti, played by Shivarajkumar. In Mufti, Ranagal appears only in the second half, although gathering intel about the crime boss and taking him into custody is the agenda with which Sriimurali’s Gana is sent to Ronapura on an undercover mission. The film Bhairathi Ranagal examines the character in-depth – was he always a gangster or was there more to him?
Would it, therefore, be okay to watch Bhairathi Ranagal even if one has not seen Mufti? Technically, that should be okay, and one can watch Bhairathi Ranagal first and then Mufti. But if the film ends with a lead in into a possible sequel, it would help to know of the events in the earlier movie. Also, because some of the characters from Mufti, like Chaya Singh’s Vedavathi Ranagal, Devaraj’s Raghuveer Bhandari, Madhu Guruswamy’s Singa, Vasishta N Simha’s Kashi and Babu Hirannaiah’s Shabari are in this film too, an understanding of what each of them means to Ranagal could also be helpful.
Mufti is available to stream on Zee5 and/or OTTplay Premium. But if you don’t have time to spare before Bhairathi Ranagal hits theatres this Friday, we will give you a quick recap.
Gana (Sriimurali) is an undercover cop, tasked with infiltrating the gang of noted crime boss Bhairathi Ranagal and collecting incriminating intel about the latter. While Ranagal comes across as a ruthless gangster, Gana discovers that he’s nothing short of a saviour for the people of Ronapura. Those who felt Ranagal’s wrath were the ones who’d wronged his people, including his sister Vedavathi’s husband, who was involved in a large medical scam.
Ranagal’s major adversary in Ronapura is Raghuveer Badri (Devaraj), a politico who is hell-bent on eliminating the former, including by turning people in his inner circle against him. Ranagal, of course, survives all the attempts on his life, with the help of Gana, who’ become a trusted lieutenant, and gets rid of Raghuveer instead, following which he surrenders to the police. It is then revealed that Ranagal knew all along that Gana was a cop, shedding light on the fact that he did not consider himself above the law after all.
The film Bhairathi Ranagal will tell audiences how he came to be a machete-wielding gangster and adopted the black-on-black attire that became all the rage. Bhairathi Ranagal releases in theatres on November 15.