‘Velns’, ‘Marks’ un ’45’: sandalkoks, lai liecinātu par Titānu sadursmi šā gada decembrī

The Kannada film industry, after a lackluster 2025 that deprived it of blockbuster hit Su from its release, is gearing up for December. This Christmas, three big films are set to hit the box office : Devil Starring Darshan, Mark Over Sudeep and 45, featuring Sudeep, Upendra and Raj B Shetty, hitting the screens.

The box office race will begin with Devil’s Slavery which is scheduled to release on December 12, 2025. There is immense curiosity around the project considering the fact that the film’s leading man is currently in jail. Darshan has been arrested in the Renuamya murder case.

Directed by Prakash Veer, Devil could be Darshan’s second film to release without the actor’s involvement in promotional activities. In 2011, Sarathi hit the screens when Darshan was facing trial for domestic violence against his wife Vijayalakshmi. The film turned out to be a huge success.

Apart from the teaser of the film, the makers have released a song titled “Idre Nemdi Agirbek”. The film also stars Mahesh Manjrekar, Rachana Rai and Sharmiela Mandre. The film has been shot in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Jaipur, Dubai and some parts of Europe.

For the second year in a row, Sudeep’s film is set for a Christmas release. In 2024, his cop thriller MaximumReleased on December 25. After the success of this, Sudeep has reunited with the film’s director Vijay Kartikeyaa, for Marks.

The film, produced by Sudeep under his banner Kichcha Creations and Sendhil Thyagarajan and Arjun Thyagarajan of Sathya Jyothi Films, clashes with 45, which also releases on December 25.

“The clash is just a prospect. I had promised in July 2025 that we are aiming for a Christmas release and we are working towards it. About 60 percent of the film has been shot. We are shooting this day and night. Hats off to the director and cinematographer (Shekar Chandra) for their hard work. Bengaluru.

Sudeep is also working on the ambitious Billa Ranga Baasha, directed by Anup Bhandari and bankrolled by K Niranjan Reddy of Primeshow Entertainment. The actor dismissed the rumours of the shelved film. Is Billa Ranga Baasha getting bigger? It is scheduled for the end of 2026. We had to give a gap between the film’s schedules. Instead of wasting this period, I decided to shoot and complete Mark during this break,” Sudeep explained.

The superstar added that the makers of 45 have no reason to worry about the box office. “Their film has three big stars, which I hold dear. Karnataka has enough theatres to accommodate two to three big films at a time. 45 is a special project that can hold its own against any film,” he said. “December is also the right time to release big projects because there are holidays for schools and colleges. If we miss this month, we will have to wait 4-5 months for the next best release window,” he added.

Also read: watch | Raj B Shetty interview: ‘Toby’ taught me how scary it is to make a big budget film

45 marks the directorial debut of ace music composer Arjun Janya. The film is said to be a drama-drama. 45 was earlier scheduled to hit the screens on August 15, 2025. The makers pushed the release due to unfinished CG work and post-production process, thus avoiding a clash with Rajinikanth’s Coolie. It remains to be seen which of the three films will emerge victorious in the Christmas Royal Rumble.