Dhruva Sarja’s KD The Devil set for festive release; to clash with Mohanlal’s next?
All the big-ticket Kannada films of the second half of 2025 have confirmed release dates, except Dhruva Sarja’s KD, which, director Prem now says will be in theatres this year
Last Updated: 03.38 PM, Sep 04, 2025
Dhruva Sarja’s next, KD The Devil, directed by Prem, is now the only Kannada biggie left to confirm its theatrical release date. Darshan Thoogudeepa’s The Devil has taken up December 12, Shivarajkumar-Upendra’s 45 is clashing with Sudeep’s Mark for Christmas, and Rishab Shetty’s Kantara Chapter 1 is, of course, in theatres for Dasara on October 2. In the current scheme of things, Kantara will have a free run in theatres until The Devil.
KD's likely release date and BO competition
But according to Prem, that may not be the case; he assures that his film KD will be in theatres in 2025, with a date somewhere in between Kantara and The Devil, with Deepavali, the most likely date. The festival falls between October 20 and October 22, which means that the preceding Friday, October 17 is, in all likelihood, KD The Devil’s release date. The team is expected to announce this officially shortly.
This will mean that KD is gearing up for a box office clash with multiple south films. For starters, it will barely be two weeks post Kantara Chapter 1 and as of now, films like Pradeep Ranganathan’s LIK, Dhruv Vikram’s Bison, Mohanlal’s Vrushabha (directed by Dhruva’s Pogaru director Nandakishore), will be in theatres along with KD.
KD, which is short for Dhruva’s character Kalidasa, is an action-packed period film, which also stars Sanjay Dutt, V Ravichandran, Ramesh Aravind, Shilpa Shetty, Reeshma Nanaiah, among others. A recent teaser had left netizens divided about whether Prem was presenting a gritty gangster drama or a cringe-fest. Dhruva’s antics were over-the-top, much like his last, Martin, which was also widely panned.
Despite this response to the teaser, director Prem assures that the film will have a good emotional quotient, exploring father-son and father-daughter relationships. The film has music by Arjun Janya and cinematography by William David (Vikrant Rona fame). It is expected to be a two-part saga.
FAQs
Q. Is KD based on true events?
A. According to director Prem, KD The Devil is based on real incidents that occured in 1970s Bengaluru.
Q. When will KD The Devil release?
A. KD The Devil is expected to be in theatres in time for Deepavali 2025, likely on October 17.