'I have to feel 20 years younger'

He is on the verge of scoring a century, on the screen that is. And Shivarajkumar has managed to find a role that he is not done hitherto in his nearly 25-year-old career. In Mailari for which the shooting is on, Shivarajkumar will be doing the role of student who graduates into a don and journalist.

He says the biggest challenge is to strike a balance between the changing shades of emotions.

“There’s a different emotion and body language for different roles. The character has to switch fast according to the mood of the moment,” Shivanna told Metrolife.

Shivanna plays Mailari, a young boy whose destiny is shaped by the happenings in society. “Mailari’s role in life changes according to societal changes. His parents want him to take up one career but this young man charts his own course for his career and life.
His life changes when he leaves his rural setting and enters an urban set-up,” reasons Shivanna, who says he can’t reveal more about the story.

Talking about his role Shivanna says, “The movie projects the conflict between parental expectation and a youngster’s ambition. What happens when the emotions are at war and when youngsters are forced to toe their parent’s line. That’s the crux of the story.”
He’s excited about his role and has been working towards building his physique to suit that of a youth, a young don and then a journo.

Well, he’s not working towards building a six-pack but is just toning up. And he’s pretty impressed that his hard work has paid off. A hairstylist has been brought down from Mumbai to do up his looks. “Looks matter most in the story. I have to don a different, more younger look,” he says.

Shivanna says the film is a family drama and has all the ingredients of a commercial entertainer. “I have to act and feel 20 years younger and it’s a challenge and a pleasure to do such a character,” he wraps up.