It’s Dr Rajkumar’s 89th birth anniversary today and the stuntmaster-turned-director Ravi Varma marks the occasion by unveiling a motion poster of his debut film Rustum, starring the matinee idol’s son Shivarajkumar.
“The name Rajkumar is synonymous with cinema. I needed to seek the legend’s blessings before starting on a venture and could not think of a better day to hold the muhurath shot. The actor was one of the best human beings I have met and the finest actor Karnataka was gifted.
My parents used to hold him up as an example for us to follow,” says Ravi Varma, who adds that the legend’s birthday has a “sacred significance”. “Like New Year, certain festivals marks a new beginning and Dr Rajkumar’s birthday is a perfect day to begin by new career,” he says.
City Express caught hold of a few photos of Shivarajkumar’s look in Rustum. The actor is playing a cop and has an image makeover with an impressive moustache.The movie also features Shraddha Srinath in the cast.
The U-Turn heroine, who is now a known face in south India and who is making her Bollywood debut, will share screen space with the actor for the first time along with Mayuri, playing a sister’s role. The film also marks the debut of Arjun Gowda and few actors from other industries including Harish Uthaman and J Mahendran.
Rustum has Anoop Seelin composing the tunes and Mahendra Simha doing the camerawork.
A stunt master who started of in Kannada, Ravi Varma is now a well-known name in south India and Bollywood. He has worked in for more than 100 films, including ones starring Pawan Kalyan, Rana Dagupati and Vikram, and Hindi actors such as Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Ajay Devgn, Shahid Kapoor and Tiger.Shoot for the film produced by Jayanna Combines will start from mid-May.
Ravi Varma’s golden memories with Rajkumar
Ravi Varma says that it was sheer luck that got him the opportunity to work with Dr Rajkumar in his last film Shabavedhi. “It was the early stages of my career, and I considered it a blessing to be part of the legend’s project,” he says, sharing a picture of him with the legend.
“We all know how he encouraged Kannada artistes. On the sets, I would often hear Rajkumar telling everybody to try and promote artistes and technicians from Karnataka,” he says.