KD: The Devil

Actor Dhruva Sarja announced his new project with director Prem and producer Venkat K. Narayana under the KVN Productions, on 18 April 2022, tentatively titled #KVN4. The film's title as KD: The Devil was announced on 20 October 2024. Reeshma Nanaiah joined the cast to play the female lead. Sanjay Dutt, Shilpa Shetty, V. Ravichandran, Ramesh Aravind and Nora Fatehi joined the cast in important roles. Principal photography of the film began after a muhurat shot on 24 April 2022 and filming commenced on 22 October 2024. == Soundtrack ==

The music of the film was composed by Arjun Janya. The music rights of the film were acquired by Anand Audio. The second single titled "Settagalla" was released on 29 March 2025. ==Release==

KD: The Devil was theatrically released on 30 April 2026 after facing multiple delays. The film received an A (adults only) certificate from the CBFC due to gory violence. == Controversy ==

The film's director Prem and production house KVN Productions faced criticism over the lyrics of the song "Sarse Ninna Seraga Sarse", which was released as the third single from the soundtrack. The music video of the song, which prominently featured a Hindi-language version of the song, starred Nora Fatehi and Sanjay Dutt. The song faced backlash, while online users expressed their ire towards the lyrics, labeling them as “vulgar” and “suggestive”. The song was soon removed from YouTube. == Sequel ==

In the film's end credits, a sequel titled ''KD 2: Evil's Kingdom'' was announced. == Reception ==

Sruthi Ganapathy Raman, writing for The Hollywood Reporter India commented that "Excess is the real devil here". Latha Srinivasan of NDTV gave 2 stars out of 5 and said that "The film makes a big entrance but doesn't keep you hooked till the end". Susmita Sameera reviewing for The Times of India gave 2.5 stars out of 5 and writes that "Overall, KD – The Devil delivers a mixed cinematic experience" Vivek M.V. of The Hindu observed that "With a semblance of story and a decent character arc for the protagonist, ‘KD’, starring Dhruva Sarja and directed by Prem, is aimed at lovers of loud ‘masala’ movie lovers who care less for depth in writing." Jagadish Angadi of Deccan Herald feels that "Despite a star-studded ensemble, including veterans such as Doddanna and Dattanna, and a guest appearance by Sudeepa, the film does little justice to its talent pool." Sanjay Ponnappa of India Today rated it 2.5/5 stars out of 5 and said that "This Dhruva Sarja-Sanjay Dutt-starrer period action drama is entertaining in bits but is mostly loud, messy and violent." == References ==