Returning with a bang!

Actor Gururaj’s last big project was ‘Gilli’, which hit the screen about eight years ago. His next big-ticket project after that is the recent movie ‘Mass Leader’.

The actor points out that it was a conscious decision to not work on just about any random project, but choose only roles that are high on quality and offer him something substantial to contribute. He is clear that he wants to be remembered for his work.

Gururaj is seen in the role of an Army officer in ‘Mass Leader’.

Actors Shivarajkumar and Vijay Raghavendra play his superior officers in the movie. Elaborating on his role, Gururaj says that there are two shades to his character.

“The first half will see me play a naughty, happy-go-lucky kind of a guy. In the second half, my comic, naughty self transforms into a serious officer. I carry myself in a very different way towards the latter part of the film.”

Talking about his rapport with the two senior actors in the film, Gururaj says, “The three of us are more like family than comrades in the film. The strong bond among us is evident. The movie also traces how the three of us become close. It’s a well-thought out script.”

This also happens to be Gururaj’s first film with Shivarajkumar. He admires him as an actor and finds him to be a wonderful human being.

“Shivarajkumar plays a senior Army officer in the film, but he doesn’t treat us like subordinates. He is someone who takes his team along with him and guides them in the right direction,” he adds.

Gururaj also feels the film portrays a lot of reality.

“We have shot in real locations near the Army base camp in Kashmir such as Gulmarg and Srinagar. We shot there for 20 days. The weather was not favourable and we worked hard in very harsh conditions but our efforts have paid off,” he says.

He says that he was taken aback to see the life of the soldiers there.

“The soldiers live and work in extreme weather conditions. They carry almost 30 kilos on their backs, hold a gun and guard the borders and protect people they don’t even know. We remember these jawans only on special occasions, but I think we ought to remember them everyday,” says Gururaj.

‘Mass Leader’ is an Independence Day release and Gururaj says that the film will inspire many young Indians to join the Indian Army.

“There is a feel-good element in the film. It makes you proud about your nation and will impact youngsters in a positive way. It will also ignite a patriotic fervour in every Indian,” he adds.