Actor Sudeep
| Photo Credit: RAVICHANDRAN N.
Sudeep unleashed a storm in Sandalwood with his recent statement in Hubballi. During a promotional event in the city, the superstar said his followers will “begin a war” when his movie Mark hits the screens on December 25, 2025. A couple of days later, Vijayalakshmi Darshan, wife of Sudeep’s arch-rival, Darshan, said in a public forum that “some people go on stage or talk in interviews wrongly about Darshan and his fans, only because he isn’t available to give a fitting response.”
Fans and a section of the media felt that Sudeep was taking a dig at Darshan, who is currently in prison in the murder case of Chitradurga resident Renukaswamy. Fans of Darshan, who ensured that his The Devil enjoyed a solid start at the box office after its release on December 11, 2025, took to social media to condemn Sudeep and his fans.
Sudeep has chosen to end fan wars and speculations about his statement. “I was talking about fighting piracy by waging a war against it. Why should people think I was targeting a certain somebody when I didn’t name them?” he asks.
“Since Pailwaan (2019), my films have been facing the issue of piracy. Back then, we weren’t equipped to fight it. But today, I want to warn those who want to tamper with my movies that they will face merciless legal action,” he adds. The actor also clarifies that his words weren’t an indirect dig at 45, the Arjun-directorial starring Shivarajkumar, Upendra and Raj B Shetty that’s set to clash with Mark on December 25.
“Shivarajkumar is like my family. When the entire state was against him during the Kannada language controversy triggered by Kamal Haasan, sir, I stood by him. I am a big fan of Upendra sir, and Arjun is my friend. So, I have nothing against 45.“
Sudeep in ‘Mark’.
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Mark isSudeep’s second straight film with director Vijay Kartikeyaa after Max, the blockbuster action thriller. Mark is set to hit the screens just six months after it went on floors in June, and Sudeep credits Vijay’s “incredible planning” for the swift completion of the project. Sudeep plays a cop, named Ajay Markandayya a.k.a Mark, who sets out to save 18 children kidnapped by a mysterious gang.
“On most of the occasions, we stuck to plan A. There were only a few instances where we had to choose an alternative option, and thanks to our talented art director Shivakumar, we were able to shift locations and adapt to new sets.
“Vijay is a great visualiser, and he executes his ideas just like he imagines. The producers (Senthil Thyagarajan and Arjun Thyagarajan) were saying that nobody has shown Thoothukudi in films like Vijay has. On some days, when I would walk into the sets, I would be a bit apprehensive about the location, but after seeing the compositions of the shots and scene constructions, I realised he knew what he was doing,” explains Sudeep.
The actor delves into forming a successful combination with Vijay, who hails from Tamil Nadu. “Vijay was naive about the Kannada market and the functioning of the industry. He knew I was a popular name, but beyond that, he didn’t know much about me. For Max, we put some effort into making him understand what my audience wants. The day the movie released, Vijay learnt about the expectations from my films. So when he wrote Mark, he had written exactly what the audience wanted.”
After Mark, Sudeep returns to the romantic-comedy zone. It’s a genre he aced with movies such as Just Maath Maathalli (2010) and Mussanjemaatu (2008). “The script was organic. I am collaborating with a filmmaker who has assisted ace Telugu director Sukumar (Pushpa and Rangasthalam fame). It’s a beautiful story, and I will be shooting it simultaneously in Telugu and Kannada,” he says.
The actor is also set to resume his ambitious project Billa Ranga Baashaa, directed by Anup Bhandari. Bankrolled by HanuMan producers, it is said to be a period action drama. “We are one schedule old. We are going to resume shooting in February 2026 and aim to release it by the end of next year.”
Published – December 24, 2025 10:18 am IST
