Challenging Star Darshan’s long-delayed film The Devil finally hit theatres on Thursday, drawing massive attention across Karnataka and beyond.
Despite the actor currently being in judicial custody in connection with the Renuka Swamy murder case, the film has opened with an exceptional number of shows, turning its release into one of the biggest cinematic events of the year for Kannada cinema.
Rachana Rai stars opposite Darshan in this action-packed drama, which also features an ensemble cast including Mahesh Manjrekar, Achyuth Kumar, Sharmiela Mandre, Roger Narayanan, Shobhraj and Srinivas Prabhu. The music for The Devil has been composed by B Ajaneesh Loknath, while Sudhakar S Raj has handled the cinematography, promising visually rich sequences to complement the film’s grand scale.
Directed by Prakash Veer and produced under the Shri Jaimatha Productions banner, The Devil is not merely another weekly release-it has turned into a statewide phenomenon. With distribution handled by Supreet and BK Gangadhar, theatre bookings across Karnataka have been aggressively managed to meet demand. The film is expected to occupy nearly 90 percent of single screens in Karnataka for its first-day-first-shows on December 11. Industry trackers say this could make it the biggest morning show opening ever for a Kannada film, and potentially the strongest start to Darshan’s career.
What makes the response remarkable is that the film is registering such momentum without Darshan participating in any promotional activities. His absence due to the ongoing legal proceedings has not affected the film’s buzz-thanks to the popularity of its songs, the high-voltage trailer, and continuous chatter among fans on social media. Darshan’s loyal fan base has once again stepped forward, driving massive footfalls to theatres.
Advance booking, which opened on December 6, saw an immediate surge. Ticketing platforms recorded over one lakh tickets sold within 24 hours, with an additional 30,000 tickets purchased offline. With around two lakh tickets already sold ahead of release and numbers continuing to climb, The Devil is poised for a thunderous opening weekend. Exhibitors are expecting houseful shows across most districts.
The film’s plot is being described as “a saga of power, vengeance, and true love.” Darshan plays a mysterious central character whose true intentions remain hidden until the climax. The narrative reportedly blends political intrigue, emotional conflict, personal vendetta, and large-scale action sequences-elements that are expected to appeal strongly to Darshan’s fanbase and mass audiences.
With its huge screen count, record advance bookings and the frenzy surrounding its release, The Devil appears set to deliver a blockbuster opening-one that will likely dominate the Kannada box office in the coming days.