Hattrick Hero Shivarajkumar, who is one of the busiest actors in Kannada cinema, is turning a year older on July 12. Apart from his in-production films like Bhairathi Ranagal, 45 and Uttarakaanda, he is committed to films with the who’s who of the industry’s directors and producers. One of them is Hemanth M Rao, who is fresh off the success of Sapta Sagaradaache Ello. Like all his earlier films, this time too, Hemanth has chosen a pure Kannada title, going with Bhairavana Kone Paata for the period action drama he’s got planned.

Given that there will be new announcements and updates of Shivarajkumar’s other films this week and especially on his birthday, Hemanth chose to release the first look of the character he’s giving the Century Star earlier this week. Netizens went ga-ga over it, with Hemanth presenting the actor as a character in tune with his actual age, including the more salt than pepper hair and beard.

Designing Bhairava's look

“The idea was to show him in his age; there’s a quintessential conditioning that’s happened through epics like the Mahabharatha or the Ramayana, where we see someone like, say, a Dronacharya, with such looks. If you look at it practically, things that we take for granted today, like, for instance running water in our homes, as against in the 12th century, when people had to go to a natural water body for access – people used to shave their heads completely, which is what Brahmins did for the ease of maintenance and staying clean. The character’s look, therefore, was planned based on the kind of costumes accessible to people back then, while also reflecting the strata of society he hailed from,” explains Hemanth.

The filmmaker got technicians from some of the best wig makers in the country to design the hair and beard. “I had a very specific look in mind, which could be achieved only with a wig. Also, it would be impractical for Shivarajkumar sir to grow out his own hair and beard when he’s doing multiple films at a time,” he adds. The buzz in industry circles is that Bhairavana Kone Paata will go on floors sometime in September. True? “End of the year, I’d say, as we still need clarity with regard to casting other people. We are looking at shooting it across live locations and specifically erected sets and the plan is to have it in theatres in 2025. In fact, on the first day of shoot, I would want to announce the release date,” says Hemanth.

The big question, of course, is if Bhairava is based on a true story. “Like my other films, I borrow a lot from real life and Bhairavana Kone Paata is no different. My only disadvantage is that I had no access to people from that era, but then, there are stories from that time – kingdoms that we don’t know about. The popular ones have stayed the test of time. There are a lot of stoeries that are lost to the pages of history; this is one such reimagination. It’s historical fiction with a lot of Shakespearean elements, because I have grown up reading and learning a lot from Shakespeare’s works. One of the major elements that has helped me with my writing is reading plays of Shakespeare. This has a lot of elements of a Shakespearean action drama,” the filmmaker signs off.

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