Vivek Oberoi recently revealed to us that he accepted the role in Rustum only because of Shivarajkumar. He admitted that when he was offered the role by the stunt master-turned-director Ravi Varma, he at first declined the offer. But, when the director brought up the fact that Shivanna would be playing the hero, the actor apparently couldn't say a No.

“Shivanna had offered me a role even before I became an actor. At 18, I had visited Bengaluru to meet my aunt. She was a good family friend of Shivanna’s. When he saw me, he said that I was handsome and expressed his wish to launch me in Kananda. He had wanted me to play his brother’s role in a film. I felt honoured, but had to decline the offer since I was going to the USA to pursue my masters in films. So, this time when I was offered a role alongside him, I jumped at it,” says Vivek, who, in fact, reminded Shivanna of the episode. 

Rustum, made under the banner of Jayanna Combines, also features Shraddha Srinath, Rachita Ram and Mayuri.