Kichcha Sudeepa's 47th film 'Mark' eyeing Christmas release, actor reveals details

'We’re shooting day and night. We have completed more than 60% of the film. I’m enjoying the process of making this film', Sudeepa said.

Bengaluru: The makers of Kichcha Sudeepa’s 47th film revealed the title of the film on the eve of the actor’s birthday on Monday. Titled Mark, the film is set for a Christmas release, Sudeepa confirmed in a press conference earlier in the day.

“We’re shooting day and night. We have completed more than 60% of the film. I’m enjoying the process of making this film because the entire team wakes up with only one intention — to finish the film without compromising on its quality,” he said, also crediting the film’s DOP, Shekar Chandra, and the director, Vijay Kartikeyaa. “They are working non-stop, and some of the locations we have shot in so far are very beautiful.” Mark will be the actor’s second film with director Vijay. Vijay made his debut with Max (2025), starring Sudeepa.

Mark will clash with two other films, also releasing in December this year — Devil, with actor Darshan, now a murder-accused, playing the lead, and Arjun Janya’s much-awaited 45, starring Upendra, Shivarajkumar, and Raj B Shetty. When asked whether he views this as a celebration or as competition, Sudeepa said, “It’s all about perspective. I’m only working for cinema, for my producer, my director, and my fans and well-wishers.”

Sudeepa also spoke about how filmmaking is becoming tougher with higher budgets. “Revenue generation is also becoming difficult now. One way of looking at it is how fast we can deliver. It saves a lot of money and also keeps up with public interest.”

The actor also revealed that Billa Ranga Baasha (BRB), directed by Anup Bhandari, is still on. “There are many energetic memes going around on social media claiming that it has been shelved. It’s only getting bigger,” he remarked. He said he will join BRB in December.

Since there were multiple schedules planned with many intervals, the actor decided to push it further and focus on one film, as it was always set for a 2026 release. He also revealed that the film is set on a big canvas. “Only the makeup takes two hours, and removing it takes more than 25 minutes,” he shared.

Vishnuvardhan memorial design based on ‘Mahakshatriya’ song

Sudeepa said the architecture of Vishnuvardhan’s memorial in Kengeri will be designed based on the actor’s popular song Ee Bhoomi Bannada Buguri (This world is a colourful spinning top) from Mahakshathriya. The foundation stone will be laid on Vishnuvardhan’s 75th birth anniversary on September 18. The memorial will house a 25-foot statue of the actor, a library, and a meditation centre.

“The fight for the memorial in Abhinav Studio will continue. The government and the law are involved, so we cannot force ourselves into it. But at the same time, as fans, we should also do something. That’s why we came up with the idea of building another memorial,” he said.

This move comes after Vishnuvardhan’s memorial in Abhinav Studio was razed in the middle of the night, according to some fans. Sudeepa has bought half an acre of land in Kengeri for the memorial centre.

The video of the memorial’s architecture, along with other details, will be released on Wednesday by the Vishnuvardhan fans’ association.

Green Initiative

On the birth anniversary of his mother, Saroja Sanjeev, Sudeepa started an initiative called Ammana Hejjege Hasiru Hejje (A Green Step to Mark My Mother’s Footsteps). The actor has adopted a park in Kumaraswamy Layout and planted a coconut tree on Saturday. “Anything beautiful reminds me of my mother,” he told reporters.