One of the highly talented directors of Kannada cinema, Milana Prakash—now known as Prakash Veer—who holds several records to his credit (including Milana running for one year), is gearing up for his second collaboration with Challenging Star Darshan after Taarak. Speaking ahead of the release of his new film, Prakash says he remains loyal both to his script and to his wife.
Darshan’s much-anticipated film The Devil is all set to hit the screens on December 11th, even as the actor remains in Parappana Agrahara Jail in connection with the Renukaswamy murder case. Meanwhile, the team is busy promoting the film. For the first time, Prakash Veer—director and producer of The Devil—addressed the media in Bengaluru to speak exclusively about the project.
Prakash admits that Darshan’s absence during the promotions has created a huge void. “Nobody can fill that gap. The reason for holding this press meet is because we believed Darshan would be with us. Darshan is a great strength to me—not just as an actor, but as a person and a friend. He is a family friend, and we are definitely missing him a lot. In his absence, his family has been a tremendous support. Darshan’s fans are promoting the film day and night. He is truly blessed to have such a fan following,” says Prakash.
The director, who earlier delivered successful films like Milana and Vamshi, says The Devil is not just for Darshan’s fans but for the whole family. “The approach this time is very different. Everyone expects another Milana from me, but I cannot replicate it. I also need new challenges and want to explore different stories. Darshan himself insisted that we make a family film. I had a different story in mind initially, but that’s how the idea began. Later, when we decided to work together again, I told him I wanted to present him according to my vision. That’s how The Devil took shape. Both journeys are different. Having said that, this is a film the entire family can watch without hesitation,” Prakash explains.
Addressing recent speculation about Darshan’s health, Prakash clarifies that the actor’s back pain was real. “It was not a gimmick. Darshan was extremely professional and never spoke about his personal issues. He completed the shoot without creating any problems. He knew the film was already delayed and wanted to finish it soon. We on the sets truly knew how many medicines and injections he had to take. Despite the pain, he completed the shoot.”
On the reports claiming there were no buyers for the film, Prakash firmly denies them. “We had decided long ago to release the film ourselves. We are doing so with the help of Supreeth and Gangadhar, who are handling the theatre setup. The film will release in the maximum number of theatres. There is huge demand across Karnataka. We are releasing the film only in Kannada, with no plans for dubbing into other languages.”
When asked whether the title The Devil sounds negative, Prakash responds, “The title is completely apt for the story. In fact, the title originally belonged to another producer. We requested them for it because the script required such a name. There is no negativity attached to it.”
The Devil is produced under the Sri Jayamatha Combines banner, with story and screenplay by Prakash Veer, who also directs the film. Shooting took place in Bengaluru, Rajasthan, and Bangkok. The film features cinematography by Sudhakar S. Raj and music by Ajaneesh Loknath. The cast includes Darshan, Rachana Rai, Tulasi, Achyuth Kumar, Mahesh Manjrekar, Srinivas Prabhu, Shobharaj, and others.