Dhruv Sarja’s KD: The Devil out only in Kannada; 5-language release fails amid CBFC delays

The production house has acknowledged the problem. Mohan Suprith, Head of Business and Operations at KVN Productions, told SCREEN, “We had a setback with the censor board, which resulted in a delayed certification for the original Kannada version of the film. Since the dubbed versions cannot be sent to the censor board without the original language certificate in place, we were left with no choice but to hold them back. We are planning to submit the dubbed versions for certification this week itself, and are working to ensure the film releases in all languages as soon as possible. We are eyeing next week for the release of the dubbed versions.”

A source close to the production said that the film’s certification process ran into multiple hurdles before its clearance, leaving the team with no runway to get the dubbed versions ready in time. The source also flagged a wider mood in the trade that could slow things further. “There is a lot of hesitation in the trade about releasing in May. Most producers are waiting for the IPL to wrap up before they fix a date. Theatres take a hit during that period and nobody wants to walk into that situation if they can avoid it.”

Also Read: Rs 1500 cr on 3 films: With Toxic, Jana Nayagan, has KVN Productions bitten off more than it can chew?

This was not the first time certification tripped up the production. Weeks before release, the film’s trailer had to be taken down from YouTube after it was found to carry content that had not been cleared by the censor board. The makers acknowledged the lapse publicly and promised a corrected upload, though the episode added to a string of setbacks that defined the film’s pre-release period.

The trailer of KD: The Devil recently released on YouTube inadvertently included certain uncertified content during certification process.

We have therefore taken down the trailer and will be uploading a revised version shortly, in compliance with the certification guidelines.…

— KVN Productions (@KvnProductions) April 24, 2026

Earlier, the film ran into trouble over its item number “Sarse Ninna Seraga Sarse”. The Hindi dubbed version, “Sarke Chunar Teri Sarke”, featuring Nora Fatehi and Sanjay Dutt, drew widespread criticism for its explicit lyrics and was pulled from YouTube by March 17. The troubled release day caps a long and unsteady journey to theatres. The film was first expected to arrive in December 2024, then shifted to avoid a direct collision with Yash’s Toxic, with the producers also needing more time to finish post-production on the film’s 1970s period world.

Directed by Prem and produced by Venkat K. Narayana under KVN Productions, the film casts Dhruva Sarja as Kaalidasa Alam, a small-time criminal whose life spirals into the underworld in the early 1970s. Sudeep, Sanjay Dutt, Shilpa Shetty, Ramesh Aravind, V. Ravichandran and Nora Fatehi round out a cast assembled with clear pan-India intent. Whether that intent translates into pan-India box office will now depend on how fast the censor board moves and how the film performs in Karnataka while it waits.