45 vs Mark: Arjun Janya says Christmas box office clash is not intentional, but…
45 vs Mark: The Christmas holiday has two major Kannada films in theatres, Kiccha Sudeep’s Mark and the multi-starrer 45 with Shivarajkumar, Upendra and Raj B Shetty
Last Updated: 09.56 PM, Sep 19, 2025
In July this year, when Kannada superstar Kiccha Sudeep announced his next film with Max maker Vijay Kartikeyaa, which is now called Mark, he had said that the plan was to have it in theatres by Christmas, even though they had not gone on floors then. Considering that Max was delayed in the making, perhaps, not many in the industry took Sudeep seriously and another film team decided to announce that they were staking claim on the Christmas holiday.
Turns out, that was composer Arjun Janya’s directorial debut 45, starring Shivarajkumar, Upendra and Raj B Shetty in the lead, which was meant to be an August 15 release, but had to be pushed ahead following delays in completion of the extensive VFX work. Shortly after, Sudeep resurfaced and reiterated what he’d been saying all along, Mark will be a Christmas release. This, of course, has given rise to a situation that Arjun, most definitely, did not anticipate.
The composer, who considers Sudeep his godfather in the industry, says that the impending clash between their films is not intentional. He states that no one on his team was aware of Sudeep’s plan when they announced their new release date. In fact, when it was pointed out to Arjun, his heart sank. As much as the composer-filmmaker wanted to avoid such a situation, he had to also consider his film’s producer’s situation. The current 4 month delay was already hurting him and it would not be right to postpone the film further and cause more damage, reckons Arjun.
He adds that any further delay would also affect the credibility of his stars, which he could not afford. In such a situation, Arjun and his team have decided to go ahead with their plans and while he’s not pleased about the fix he’s in, he says that there’s no competition between the two films. As far as he’s concerned, Kannada audiences have the luxury of not one, but two films in theatres and can enjoy both over the holiday season.
FAQs
Q. Who is directing Kiccha47?
A. Kiccha47, which is now called Mark, is being directed by Vijay Kartikeyaa as his sophomore project after last year's Max with Kiccha Sudeep. The film is likely to be in theatres for Christmas 2025.
Q. Is Billa Ranga Baashaa shelved?
A. No. Billa Ranga Baashaa is not shelved. It is on schedule break. Sudeep will resume shooting for it once he completes Kiccha47. Billa Ranga Baashaa will likely be his Christmas 2026 release.