The Devil’s Sharmiela Mandre: Screen time became immaterial to me once…
Sharmiela Mandre, who worked with Darshan in Navagraha 18 years ago, reunites with him with The Devil that releases on December 11. She has a pivotal role that has been pegged as the surprise element
Last Updated: 06.20 PM, Dec 10, 2025
It’s taken actor Sharmiela Mandre two decades to figure out that doing what’s best for a film in the larger scheme of things is what matters and not whether one has visibility from start-to-finish. And this realisation, she says, came to her only after she started taking an active interest in her family business - film production. Screen time was very important to her in the early stages of her career; the number of scenes she had and how much onscreen duration that translated into were things she was focused on.
Sharmiela Mandre: All that matters is if the film will be liked by audiences
That changed when she turned producer and understood the importance of looking at a film in totality – from script to scale, etc., and the potential it has to become a good movie. Speaking to Cinema Express, Sharmiela said that she has now begun looking at films irrespective of how much screen time she has and more in terms of whether it will be liked by audiences.
This is also why she has taken up a role in Darshan Thoogudeepa’s The Devil, which is pivotal to the narrative, but is not among the main characters of the film. “Prakash has envisioned The Devil as a massive-scale film and considering that it would be my second film with Darshan after Navagraha, I was sceptical about the role at first. But now, I feel that that the few scenes that I have in the film are pretty powerful and impactful,” says Sharmiela, adding that when she asked the director why he wanted her, he’d said that he’d envisioned her in that role.
Sharmiela’s role is the surprise element of the film, but there is speculation that she plays a politician. While she does not dignify that with a response, given that the film will be in theatres in only hours, she adds that she shot for the film in Mysuru and Udaipur, even though it was for a short duration.
The Devil FAQs
Q. What was Darshan Thoogudeepa's last release?
A. Darshan Thoogudeepa was last seen onscreen in 2023's Kaatera , which is available on Z5 (via OTTplay Premium also).
Q. What is Darshan's next film?
A. Darshan's next is The Devil, which has him reuniting with Tarak maker Prakash Veer. The film had been announced as a December 12, 2025 release, but has now been advanced by a day. The film is being released in the actor's absence, as he is currently in jail in connection with the Renukaswamy murder case.
Q. List the cast of The Devil
A. The Devil is led by Darshan Thoogudeepa, who is paired with Rachana Rai. The film also stars Mahesh Manjrekar, Achyuth Kumar, Vinay Gowda, Chandu B Gowda, among many others.