Billa Ranga Baashaa shelved? Kiccha Sudeep claims he’s on a break; industry buzz indicates otherwise
Billa Ranga Baashaa, directed by Anup Bhandari, and produced by the Hanu-Man makers, was meant to be the biggest and most ambitious film in Kiccha Sudeep’s career
Last Updated: 06.11 PM, Feb 17, 2026
For quite a while, there’s been industry buzz that Kiccha Sudeep’s upcoming Billa Ranga Baasha, with RangiTaranga and Vikrant Rona maker Anup Bhandari, has been shelved. The film went on floors in 2025, but after its first schedule break itself, Sudeep moved on and dedicated nearly 5 months on the making of Mark , his last theatrical release, which came out for Christmas 2025. At the time, it was said that Billa Ranga Baashaa’s sets were taking time to erect and Sudeep was adamant to have a release in 2025. He would return to Anup’s film, thereafter, while also sticking to his two films at a time plan.
No investors for Sudeep's Billa Ranga Baashaa?
Since finishing Mark and his commitments with Bigg Boss Kannada and Celebrity Cricket League, Sudeep has shown no inclination of restarting Billa Ranga Baashaa, and fans have been desperate for an update. Then came the buzz that the project is on hold owing to financial issues with the producers, Hanu-Man makers Primeshow Entertainment. A source close to the team of Billa Ranga Baashaa had told OTTplay that Anup was working on getting other investors on board, but the poor box office reception of Mark and the figures of both Max and Vikrant Rona are said to have cast a shadow on the returns on investment for a big project like Billa Ranga Baashaa.
Sudeep, meanwhile, was recently asked about the status of Billa Ranga Baashaa, and he claimed that the delay was solely because he’s taking a break, given that he’s been busy with Mark, Bigg Boss Kannada and Celebrity Cricket League till the 1st of February 2026 and is looking at recouping before he returns to Anup’s film. Other scripts have also been okayed and are ready to take off, he’d said, including a romantic comedy.
Billa Ranga Baashaa is a futuristic thriller set in 2209 AD, meaning that it would have to be shot in specially-erected sets for almost its entirety. This was meant to be Sudeep’s first collaboration with Anup, but given the scale of the project and the feasibility of pulling it off at that point, they decided to hold it and did Vikrant Rona instead.
Three years after Vikrant Rona hit theatres, Billa Ranga Baashaa finally went on floors. This was at a time when Sudeep had decided to do more than one film at a time, so, when Billa Ranga Baashaa went into schedule break, supposedly to get the next set of sets ready, the actor began work on Mark. The initial plan was for Sudeep to move from one set to the other; complete Mark by the year end and get Billa Ranga Baashaa in some shape. That, though, did not happen.
Netizens remain divided by the news of the film’s current status, with some suggesting that Anup Bhandari should move on and do some other film, while others feel that he should make Billa Ranga Baashaa with another hero.
Billa Ranga Baashaa FAQs
Q. Is Sudeep playing multiple roles in Billa Ranga Baashaa?
A. Sudeep is, reportedly, playing 3 different characters - Billa, Ranga and Baashaa - in the film that is set in 2209 AD. The film is being directed by Vikrant Rona maker Anup Bhandari.
Q. What is Kiccha Sudeep's 2025 film release?