Kiccha46: Sudeep and Anup Bhandari collaborations on hold following Vikrant Rona?

When Kiccha Sudeep was promoting his 3D fantasy action drama Vikrant Rona prior to its release, the actor was quite gung-ho about possible future collaborations with its director Anup Bhandari. The filmmaker and actor duo had planned another film, Billa Ranga Baashaa, which they put on hold and instead decided to proceed with Vikrant Rona first. There was also talk of a third film, Ashwathaama, as well as a possible Vikrant Rona sequel, so much so that it seemed that Sudeep would keep Anup busy for the foreseeable future.

But then, Vikrant Rona released and didn’t set the box office on fire as hoped. The film got mixed reviews with Kannada audiences especially feeling short-changed, as the film was set in Anup’s Rangitaranga universe and followed a similar narrative pattern. The team claimed that the film was a box office success, but sources indicate that Vikrant Rona did not even break even. The film released in the last week of July and ever since, Sudeep has not made any public comment about his next acting gig, although, a more recent meeting with Karthik Gowda of KRG Studios and Hombale Films, sparked rumours of a possible collaboration. The fact that Vikrant Rona producer Manjunath Gowda has moved on to another project has also got fans wondering if the Sudeep-Anup duo will collaborate again. 

Earlier, Sudeep had been quoted as saying that he had okayed a script by Mankatha and Maanaadu maker Venkat Prabhu. The latest buzz of his next being a film by Lyca Productions has fans speculating that it is most likely the project with Venkat. A source close to the actor says that he is also likely to do a film for Sathya Jyothi Productions.

During the Vikrant Rona promotions, OTTplay had asked the actor about returning to the director’s chair, to which he’d responded that he’d rather act as there were young filmmakers writing scripts for him.

An official announcement about Sudeep’s next film is expected in January, after he completes his hosting gig for the ongoing ninth season of Bigg Boss Kannada.