Prakash Veer on casting Rachana Rai in The Devil: The mandate for the leading lady was…

Rachana Rai auditioned for the role in The Devil not once, but twice, and was chosen only after that from a pool of other contenders. She is paired with Darshan in the film

Rachana Rai is the leading lady of The Devil

Rachana Rai is not a complete cinema novice; she’s been a part of a few films earlier. But The Devil, in which she is paired with Challenging Star Darshan is, undoubtedly, her biggest project to date. How did she come to be a part of the project? Rachana, says director-producer Prakash Veer, was chosen after a couple of rounds of auditions, which gave him the confidence that she was apt to play the film’s leading lady.

Prakash Veer: Rachana Rai is a fantastic performer

“The mandate for the leading lady was simple; I needed an actor who’d perform from the word go and would not need time to ease into the character. We auditioned several actors for the role, including Rachana and I really liked the way she performed the scene that was given to her. She is a fantastic performer. Even then, we called her for a second round of audition, at which we gave her more difficult scene. She aced that as well and only then did we cast her,” Prakash told TV9 Kannada.

Also read: Idre Nemdiyaag Irbek: Anirudh Sastry on the choice of lyrics for The Devil’s anthem song

The filmmaker says that Darshan and Rachana have great chemistry in the film, which is palpable in the song Onde Ond Sala. Prakash adds, though, that The Devil is a complete mass entertainer, and going by the ensemble cast on board, Rachana’s role is likely to be limited to being the romantic interest. Of course, the full extent of her role will be clear once the film releases on December 11.

Also read: The Devil: Darshan to be seen in more than 1 role? Director clarifies…

The Devil also stars Achyuth Kumar, Mahesh Manjrekar, Sharmiela Mandre, Huli Karthik, Shobraj, Gilli Nata, Chandu B Gowda, Vinay Gowda, among others. Music is by Ajaneesh Loknath and cinematography by Sudhakar. The film was meant to be a December 2024 release, but got delayed following Darshan’s arrest in the Renukaswamy case. In fact, the film is hitting theatres now in the actor’s absence, with his trial starting later in December.

The Devil FAQs

Q. What was Darshan Thoogudeepa's last release?

A. Darshan Thoogudeepa was last seen onscreen in 2023's Kaatera , which is available on Z5 (via OTTplay Premium also).

Q. What is Darshan's next film?

A. Darshan's next is The Devil, which has him reuniting with Tarak maker Prakash Veer. The film had been announced as a December 12, 2025 release, but has now been advanced by a day. The film is being released in the actor's absence, as he is currently in jail in connection with the Renukaswamy murder case.

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