The Kannada Film Industry is on a roll. Over the last year or so, the industry has emerged as a force to be reckoned with. From ‘KGF 2’ to ‘Charlie 777’ to ‘Vikrant Rona’ to the most recent ‘Kantara,’ the industry has been delivering one blockbuster after another. In fact, this year Kannada films so far have grossed more at the box-office than any other regional film industry as well as Bollywood.
A leading production house in the South, KVN Productions, which has been at the forefront of this remarkable turnaround for the Kannada cinema, recently made a grand announcement of their upcoming film ‘KD: The Devil’ in a star-studded event in Bangalore. The teaser launch was attended by stalwarts from Bollywood and the Kannada Film Industry, including Sanjay Dutt, Dhruva Sarja, Prem, Suprith, Rakshitha, Arjun Janya, and Anil Thadani.
The title teaser offers a sneak peek into the world of ‘KD: The Devil,’ meticulously crafted by creative team led by the noted Kannada filmmaker Kiran Kumar, popularly known as Prem. The teaser showcases the first look of the notorious ‘Kaali,’ essayed by the action star Dhruva Sarja. KD aka Kalidas is a criminal. He is coming out of jail after years. The whole city is on high alert. KD has thousands of enemies. But he also has many admirers who are standing outside the jail with torches in their hands to welcome him. But he comes out from the back gate, fighting with his enemies. Set in 1970s Bangalore, the film is inspired by true events.
The teaser features a violent albeit adrenaline pumping action. The USP is that it is voiced by superstars from Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam film industries. Director Prem has himself voiced the Kannada version, while Sanjay Dutt, Vijay Sethupathi and Mohanlal have voiced the Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam versions, respectively. This is the first movie wherein the title teaser has been shot even before the start of the actual shoot. A five day special schedule was undertaken just for the shooting of this teaser that been creating a lot of buzz.
While KVN Productions will be the presenters of the Kannada version, the Hindi version will be presented by AA Films headed by Anil Thadani. The Telugu version will be presented by one of Telugu Film Industry’s biggest names ‘Vaaraahi Chalana Chitram,’ headed by Sai Korrapati. The Tamil version will be presented by legendary Tamil distribution company ‘Red Giant Movies,’ headed by Udhayanidhi Stalin. The Malayalam version will be presented by ‘Aashirvad Cinemas,’ headed by Antony Perumbavoor.
The launch of the title teaser has set the ball rolling for ‘KD: The Devil,’ which has all the makings of the biggest film ever to have come out of the Kannada industry. But, Prem and team have their task cut out. Not only do they have to match the expectations set by the hard-hitting and visually stunning teaser but they also have to be true to the high standards set by the Kannada industry in the recent times with films like ‘KGF 2,’ ‘Kantara,’ and ‘Vikrant Rona.’