Mark actor Kiccha Sudeep about unnecessary ‘saleable inclusions’ in films: An introduction song works well only on YouTube
Mark actor Kiccha Sudeep says that diversions in the narrative are acceptable only if there is a valid reason to it. A formula he's implemented with his film, including Mark
Last Updated: 08.49 PM, Dec 18, 2025
In the last few years, one thing that Kannada superstar Kiccha Sudeep has been clear about is in ensuring brevity in filmmaking. He’s been advocating crisply edited, to the point narratives with no unnecessary diversions, which he first implemented in Vikrant Rona , and better still with Max , in which he got rid of the romantic arc for his character. It continues with Mark, his Christmas 2025 release, which is all of 2 hours and 25 minutes in duration.
Kiccha Sudeep: You can't have a lot of diversions in cinema, unless you have a reason for it
On a recent podcast while promoting Mark, Sudeep said that as much as he loves to do romantic scenes, fights, family drama or comedy, none of it should ever feel forced in a film’s narrative. “You can’t add these elements because the market demands and it is a saleable inclusion. Cinema can’t have a lot of diversions, unless you give audiences a reason as to why it is happening. None of the grammar of cinema will work if the vocabulary does not make sense. Earlier there was a formula, which included a hero introduction song, a heroine, songs, a comedy track that has nothing to do with the narrative, etc.,” said Sudeep in conversation with 60 minutes with Sudhir.
The actor added that the scale of the introduction song would depend on the star status of the hero in the market. “This was a formula that worked, but not anymore. Things have changed now and make more sense. Audiences question the inclusion of a song, which may sound great but works only on YouTube. In the flow of the film, it affects them and audiences today are sensible enough to ask such questions. So, I don’t think you can have anything irrelevant in your plot today,” he says.
Mark is Sudeep’s second consecutive film with Max maker Vijay Kartikeyaa, and has him in cop mode again, as a fearless and ruthless, albeit suspended officer, Ajay Markandayya. The film has a vast ensemble cast that brings the likes of Yogi Babu, Vikranth, Naveen Chandra and Guru Somasundaram to Kannada cinema.
Mark the movie FAQs
Q. Is Mark the Max sequel?
A. There have been rumours that director Vijay Kartikeyaa rebranded the script for Max 2 as Mark, but the filmmaker has negated this, stating that the nuances of the character in Mark are very different from Max's Arjun Mahakshay.
Q. Who all are on the vast cast of Mark?
A. Mark stars Kiccha Sudeep, Guru Somasundaram, Naveen Chandra, Vikranth, Yogi Babu, Shine Tom Chacko, Gopalkrishna Deshpande, Mahantesh Hiremath, Dragon Manju, Roshni Prakash, Archana Kottige, Deepshika, among others.
Q. Where can one watch Mark?
A. Mark is set for theatrical release on December 25, 2025. There is no update on the film's OTT partner and tentative streaming date yet