Century Star Shivarajkumar’s Bhairathi Ranagal was supposed to be the big Independence Day release in Kannada cinema. But the team was unable to stick to this timeline, as the actor had taken time off to campaign for his wife, Geetha Sihvarajkumar, who’d contested the last Lok Sabha elections, albeit unsuccessfully. Pushed ahead from August 15, a date that was quickly lapped up by 2 films – Krishnam Pranaya Sakhi and Gowri – Bhairathi Ranagal, according to the team was not moving too far away and that a September release was still in the offing.

In keeping with this, a late September release, which would mean a clash with Jr NTR’s Devara was speculated. More recently, though, the buzz has been that Bhairathi Ranagal will move ahead to October or even November, which, the team has clarified as of today. Shivarajkumar’s second home production, directed by Narthan, will hit theatres on November 15. The film will likely benefit from a long weekend, what with November 18 being Kanaka Dasa Jayanti.

What is Bhairathi Ranagal about?

Bhairathi Ranagal explores the character’s life before he became a feared and worshipped crime lord, as seen in the events of Mufti. In the 2017 film, Sriimurali played Gana, an undercover cop, tasked with posing as an assassin and infiltrating Bhairathi Ranagal’s gang to collect incriminating intelligence about the latter. While he manages that, Gana also realizes that Ranagal is not evil, but a do-gooder for the people of his village Ronapura, standing up and fighting for their rights.

At the end of the film, Ranagal surrenders to the police, and it is revealed that he knew all along that Gana was a cop. When director Narthan first announced Bhairathi Ranagal, they’d intended it to be both a prequel and sequel, to also narrate what becomes of him after his prison stint. However, more recent reports suggest it is only an exploration of how he came to be a crime lord, with images from the set hinting that he was an advocate earlier.

Shivarajkumar is paired with Rukmini Vasanth in the film, while Rahul Bose is the main antagonist. Also on the cast of the film are Madhu Guruswamy, Shabeer Kallarakkal, and Vasishta N Simha, among others. It is not clear if Sriimurali will reprise his role as Gana in the film.

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