The Devil strikes hot
Strap: Strong advances, big crowds and soaring day-one buzz push Darshan’s new release into a confident Karnataka opening weekend
OB Bureau
Kannada star Darshan may still be behind bars, but his latest action entertainer The Devil has muscled into cinemas with the swagger of a festival opener. Early estimates peg its Thursday India net at around Rs 3.83 crore, according to a box-office collection news website; a number trade watchers say marks a steady, confidence-boosting start for a Darshan release this early in the year.
Across Karnataka, evening and late-night shows packed out, with single screens in Bangalore and Mysuru turning into familiar seas of cut-outs, cheers and whistles, the unmistakable footprint of a Darshan day. Multiplexes, too, reported brisk footfalls, signalling that The Devil is pulling both the loyal base and the weekend crowd.
The momentum didn’t arrive out of nowhere. Advance bookings crossed the Rs 1 crore mark early, before snowballing into multi-crore territory. Karnataka Talkies reported that Day 1 advances alone crossed Rs 7 crore, a number that locked in audience appetite well before the first show rolled.
Directed and written by Prakash and produced under Sri Jaimatha Combines and Vaishno Studios, The Devil is a high-voltage action drama tailored for the masses with equal parts power politics, revenge, sentiment and unabashed romance.
Darshan plays Krishna, a mild-mannered mess owner harbouring film-star dreams. But destiny has other plans as political masterminds push him into impersonating Dhanush, the disgraced and dangerous son of the chief minister. Dhanush, infamously known as “The Devil”, is everything Krishna is not, setting up a clash of identity, morality and survival.
Rachana Rai’s Rukmini acts as Krishna’s emotional anchor as he walks the tightrope between truth and deception. From the moment Krishna steps into Dhanush’s chaotic shadow, the film layers tension, drama and sentiment into template Darshan fans know and cheer best.
But the biggest twist of this release week unfolds off-screen. Darshan, jailed in connection with the fan murder case, reached out to his massive support base through an emotional note, shared by his wife Vijayalakshmi on social media, urging them not just to stay strong but to rally behind The Devil. The message, written “straight from my heart,” thanked fans for their “love, concern, tireless support and unstoppable promotions across the state.”
He urged them to tune out the noise. “Don’t let any rumour or negativity disturb you,” he wrote, calling his followers his “strength” and “family”.
In a line that has since ricocheted across fan pages, Darshan added, “At this point in my life, my biggest power is you… channel that love and energy towards what truly matters, our movie ‘Devil’.”
HL: Can this ‘Criminal’ trio set screens ablaze?
Blurb:
Fans of the Dhruva–Rachita duo buzz online as Criminal’s gritty, true-events tale and Aishwarya Rajesh’s debut spark massive Sandalwood excitement.
OB Bureau
Kannada cinema buzz just hit full throttle with the latest news from Criminal, the much-anticipated film that brings back one of Sandalwood’s favourite screen pairs after nearly a decade. Eight years after their hit combo in Bharjari, Dhruva Sarja and Rachita Ram are teaming up once again for Criminal, confirmed during the recent muhurath launch that saw the leads and crew come together for the first time.
Directed by Rajguru (Raj Guru B) and produced by Manish Shah under the Goldmines Telefilms banner, Criminal is shaping up as a pan-Indian cinematic event.
The story is rooted in real events from rural North Karnataka and blends intense drama with high-octane action, set against an earthy backdrop that promises both emotional depth and crowd-pleasing punch.
And now comes the casting twist fans have been waiting for – South Indian star Aishwarya Rajesh has officially joined the film’s cast. Known for her acclaimed work across Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam cinema, Aishwarya was previously expected to debut in Kannada with another project that’s now been postponed. Criminal will now mark her Kannada debut and her first collaboration with Dhruva Sarja.
The makers have already dropped a title teaser, giving viewers a taste of the film’s rugged tone and its emotional beats; a mix of visceral storytelling and raw rural energy.
Adding to the excitement, Criminal will release not just in Kannada but across Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi, underlining the team’s ambition to take this narrative far beyond regional borders.
Fans of the Dhruva-Rachita combo, fondly remembered from their Bharjari days, have already taken to social media with excitement and speculation about how this newer, grittier story will pan out. With Aishwarya Rajesh stepping into the Sandalwood fold and a story inspired by true events, Criminal is shaping up to be one of the most talked-about Kannada films in recent memory.
Keep your popcorn ready, this rural thriller is gearing up not just for action, but for a multi-language impact worthy of pan-India talk.
HL: The 100-day Toxic clock starts!
OB Bureau
Rocking Star Yash just dropped a bomb on the internet and all it took was one poster and a ticking clock. The makers of Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups has officially launched the 100-day countdown to the film’s grand release on March 19, 2026, and the reaction from fans was instant combustion.
Already one of the most talked-about releases of 2026, Toxic has been steadily building hype with every breadcrumb the team drops. But this new poster? It’s pure gasoline.
The image shows Yash in a bloody bathtub; sexy, rugged, inked up and radiating menace. His chiselled biceps flex under the glare of a lone streak of light. His face stays hidden, but the attitude does all the talking. The tattoos, the soaked setting, the posture… everything screams dangerous fairytale gone rogue.
The makers have timed the release with ruthless precision. Toxic lands during a rare triple-festival stretch, Gudi Padwa, Ugadi and Eid, giving the film a fat four-day holiday box-office window. For a Yash-headlined action entertainer, that’s the kind of runway blockbuster dreams are made of.
The poster drop also spotlighted the seasoned technicians shaping this ambitious, genre-bending film.
- Cinematography: National Award winner Rajeev Ravi, known for his gritty visual grammar
- Music: Ravi Basrur, Yash’s trusted sonic architect from KGF
- Editing: Ujwal Kulkarni
- Production Design: TP Abid
And then comes the big swing:
Hollywood stunt maestro JJ Perry, celebrated for John Wick, joins forces with National Award-winning action duo Anbariv. Together, they’ve choreographed some of the film’s most explosive set pieces; the kind of action that aims squarely at global standards.
Toxic stands apart for another reason – Yash is co-writing the film with director Geetu Mohandas. Shot simultaneously in English and Kannada, the film will also release dubbed in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam. The producers, Venkat K. Narayana of KVN Productions and Yash under Monster Mind Creations, are pitching this as a massive pan-India, even international, play.
With its stylish brutality, powerhouse creative lineup, and a star in full feral mode, Toxic is shaping up to be Yash’s most audacious outing yet. If this is the energy at 100 days out, March 19 is going to explode.