Confirmed! Shivarajkumar will return as Bhairathi Ranagal

Kannada director Narthan had mooted a film on one of the primary characters, Bhairathi Ranagal, played by Shivarajkumar in his earlier Mufti, way back in 2017. Since then, both Narthan and Shivarajkumar have often spoken about revisiting the subject, but it never progressed beyond a point because the filmmaker was working on something else. At the time, it was believed that Narthan was the chosen one to direct Rocking Star Yash after KGF: Chapter 2; but 10 months since its release, there’s still no clarity on who will make a film with him.

It's now confirmed that Narthan has moved on and will not be doing #Yash19. Instead, he will direct Shivarajkumar again in Bhairathi Ranagal, which the Century Star will produce under his banner, Geetha Pictures. Bhairathi Ranagal was Shivarajkumar’s character in Mufti, a gangster ruling over a village. An undercover cop, Gana, played by Sriimurali, is sent to infiltrate his camp, and gather evidence against Bhairathi. What Gana finds out is that despite the violent atrocities, Bhairathi has actually been working for the betterment of the village. The film ended with Bhairathi surrendering to the police, having known all along that Gana was a cop. Announcing the collaboration, Shivarajkumar posted on social media, “The Era, Where it all Began! #BhairathiRanagal is Here.”

Bhairathi Ranagal was initially planned as a prequel that would delve into the circumstances surrounding how he came to be a gangster. But during the promotions of Vedha, when Shivarajkumar was asked if he will actually revisit the subject, he had said that the plan was still on and that it would be a prequel as well as a sequel.

The makers have not announced a start date, as the Century Star has a line-up of several other films pending. He is currently in the midst of shooting Ghost with MG Srinivas. He’s also committed to Arjun Janya’s directorial debut, as well as films with Lohith H (Sathyamangala) and Sachin BR, among others.