PremiumShivarajkumar: I have main lead role offers from Tamil, Telugu and Hindi cinema
The Century Star is not averse to doing cameos, but says that it has to be organic and have relevance in the larger scheme of things
Shivarajkumar is a much-wanted man now in industry circles
Last Updated: 07.11 PM, Oct 11, 2023
Kannada actor Shivarajkumar is not averse to doing cameos – he’s done one in a Balayya film and, more recently in Rajinikanth’s Jailer. He will also be seen in a longer role in Dhanush’s Captain Miller later this year. But after that, he says, it will be sometime before he does another such guest role. He’s not saying that he won’t do any, but going forward, it will only be if said cameo is relevant to the narrative and if his presence makes a difference. In fact, the actor says that he got a few requests for cameos from Telugu cinema that he has said no to because the stories and, more importantly, his role, didn’t seem striking. More importantly, it’s the lead roles that he has to deal with now.
Speaking to Galatta Plus, Shivarajkumar said that he has main lead role offers from Tamil, Telugu and Hindi cinema, all of which have good stories and that he’s now wondering when and how to fit them into his already packed lineup of Kannada movies. But how does he pick scripts? They should not be routine or cliched, he reckons, and explains in the context of his next release, Ghost. The MG Srinivas directorial, says Shivarajkumar, is not new in terms of format, but what is novel is the way that the story is being told.
An action heist thriller that unravels within the premises of a prison, Ghost is set to be a franchise. Srinivas had earlier said it would be a two-part film, but has now clarified that Ghost is a complete story by itself, but the character has so many variations to it that he can be explored in further stories. In fact, Srini is combining the Ghost universe with his Birbal franchise for his own Srinivas Cinematic Universe within which he hopes to churn out movies for the next 10-15 years. To be released in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi, Ghost will be in theatres on October 19.