KD - The Devil (2026) OTT Release: ZEE5 Date & Cast

KD: The Devil is a period action thriller set in 1970s Bengaluru, with Dhruva Sarja in the title role.

Release date and status

KD - The Devil released on 30 April 2026. Release markets: India (theatrical). Language: Kannada (dubbed in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi).

OTT release

The film began streaming on ZEE5 on 5 June 2026 in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.

Cast and crew

• Director: Prem
• Writer: Prem
• Music: Arjun Janya
• Cast: Dhruva Sarja, Sanjay Dutt, Shilpa Shetty, Reeshma Nanaiah, Ramesh Aravind

Correction: Earlier versions of this page showed the wrong release date (4 September 2025).

Production history

Dhruva Sarja announced the project with director Prem and producer Venkat K. Narayana of KVN Productions on 18 April 2022 under the working title #KVN4, and a muhurat shot was held on 24 April 2022. The title KD: The Devil was announced on 20 October 2024, and filming started on 22 October 2024. Reeshma Nanaiah plays the female lead, with Sanjay Dutt, Shilpa Shetty, V. Ravichandran, Ramesh Aravind and Nora Fatehi in key roles; Sudeepa's cameo was confirmed in September 2025. William David shot the film and Sanketh Achar edited it. It reached cinemas on 30 April 2026 after several delays.

Trailer and music

Arjun Janya composed the music, and Anand Audio holds the audio rights. The first single, "Shiva Shiva", was released on 24 December 2024 and the second, "Settagalla", on 29 March 2025. The third single, "Sarse Ninna Seraga Sarse", whose video features Nora Fatehi and Sanjay Dutt and prominently uses a Hindi version of the song, drew online backlash over lyrics that users called vulgar and suggestive, and was taken down from YouTube.

Certification and runtime

The CBFC granted an 'A' certificate for gory violence. The runtime is 141 minutes.

Critical reception

Reviews were largely negative. Latha Srinivasan of NDTV (2/5) said the film makes a big entrance but does not hold attention to the end. Susmita Sameera of The Times of India (2.5/5) called it a mixed experience. Vivek M.V. of The Hindu saw it as aimed at fans of loud masala films who care less about depth in the writing. Jagadish Angadi of Deccan Herald felt the large ensemble, including a Sudeepa guest appearance, was underused, and Sanjay Ponnappa of India Today (2.5/5) found it entertaining in bits but mostly loud, messy and violent. The Hollywood Reporter India's review argued that excess was the film's real problem.

Sequel

A sequel, KD 2: Evil's Kingdom, was announced in the film's end credits. No production or release details had been announced as of 25 September 2026.