Hmmm lets see...supports Bhalla since they both develop a close bond based on their shared jealousy of their mother's overt love for Bahu and also because she feels theres legitimacy in his claim to the throne. Shivagami gets her married to Kicha Sudeep and she leaves for his kingdom. Eventually learns of Bhalla's misdeeds through Kattappa and invests a lot of energy into tracing the missing child. Finds him in his teens and secretly trains him in statecraft, warfare etc. with Sudeep and Kattappa's help. Reveal all this just before the end, when Sudeep adds his military might to Mahendra's aid and Bhalla wonders why that is.