‘Shivarjuna has drama, romance and action’

Here's why the Covid-19 scare didn't deter the makers of 'Shivarjuna' from releasing it

On his fourth outing as a director, Shiva Tejas, has delivered a romantic drama in ‘Shivarjuna’, packed with enough meat to entertain the audience. Chiranjeevi Sarja is the protagonist of the film along with Amrutha Iyengar and Akshata Srinivas in the lead roles. The film has all the elements of a commercial drama and promises to be
an out-and-out entertainer. Shiva took time off to chat with Metrolife about the making of the project and more.

What is the movie about?

The film begins with the rivalry between two prominent families, belonging to two different villages — Ramdurga and Rayadurga. The rest of the story is about the events that take place because of the misunderstanding between the families. There’s drama, romance and loads of action that you just can’t get enough of.

You have an interesting cast...

The actors and crew are the pillars of the project. The scriptwriter is Arun Ramdas and this is also the first movie of Manjula Shivarjun, the producer. Cameraman Venu heads the technical department and Surag Kokila has scored the music. All of us came together agreeing to deliver a complete commercial potboiler. And I think that we have succeeded in doing so.

On roping Chiranjeevi Sarja for the lead role...

He is a well-known face in the Kannada film industry. After ‘Vayuputra’, people recognised his potential as an actor and hailed him as somebody who can swiftly essay a range of emotions convincingly. He can handle everything — fights, romantic numbers and sentiments — with ease. The film wouldn’t be complete without a host of talented actors such as Ravi Kishan, Tara, Avinash, Kishore, and Sadhu Kokila.

Do you think Covid-19 scare will affect collection at the box office?

I feel there is a sense of fear which may mildly affect us. We have estimated a dip of 10 to 15 percent among the movie-goers, but hopefully this sense of hesitation to enter cinema halls will subside in the coming days.

What made you release the film during this time?

We had already made the payment and done the bookings. The promotions and other logistics were also underway. Also, having announced the release dates well in advance, we felt turning back at this point will be impractical because the producer will incur a loss. Thankfully, there were no other big releases this week.