Vikrant Rona on TV: Sudeep says he cherishes cultural way of film coming on the small screen

Kannada superstar Kiccha Sudeep’s 3D fantasy action drama, Vikrant Rona, which released in theatres on July 28, had its digital debut on the actor’s birthday on September 2. The other language versions came two weeks later on Disney+Hotstar. And now, the film is getting its television premiere.

Taking to Twitter about the film’s TV debut, Sudeep tweeted, “There r many platforms where a film reaches every house post theatrical. Yet the normal cultural way of a movie coming on TV, is something I still cherish. #VikrantRona premiers tonight, @ZeeKannada at 7.30pm. Njoyy,” he wrote, sharing Zee Kannada’s official post about the same.

Vikrant Rona, which was released in Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam, was a period film set in Anup’s Rangitaranga universe, which he revealed after it came out. Vikrant Rona, like Rangitaranga, was set in Kamarottu, and followed the investigation into the mysterious disappearances of young children, who’d then end up dead. While the villagers believe it to be the work of a Brahmarakshasa, Vikrant Rona decides to get to the bottom of it, because he has a personal stake in the case.

Written by Anup, who also chipped in as lyricist on some of the songs, the film had music by B Ajaneesh Loknath and cinematography by William David. The film also starred Nirup Bhandari, Neetha Ashok, Milana Nagaraj, Madhusudan Rao, Ravishankar Gowda and Vajradheer Jain, among others.

Made at an approximate budget of Rs 95 crore, Vikrant Rona is believed to have made Rs 200 crore lifetime business. The Zee5 Kannada promo for the film’s OTT debut declared it a Rs 200 crore blockbuster. This, however, has not been verified yet and the team hasn’t officially announced it either.

Meanwhile, Sudeep is yet to announce his next, even though he had mentioned during the Vikrant Rona promotions, that he was looking at collaborating with Anup yet again. The duo had announced Billa Ranga Baasha earlier and have not discounted the possibility of a Vikrant Rona sequel. The actor is also believed to be collaborating with Maanadu maker Venkat Prabhu, but this is yet to take off. More recently, Sudeep’s ‘casual dinner’ pics with Karthik Gowda of Hombale Films sparked rumours that he could be set to work with the banner that’s made blockbusters like KGF and Kantara.