Kichcha Sudeep, who plays a cameo as Kaala Bhairava in KD: The Devil, backed director Prem over Sarke Chunar Teri Sarke row ahead of the film's releaseIt took less than 48 hours for Sarke Chunar Teri Sarke to go from a promotional release to a banned track. In the weeks since, the song from KD: The Devil has attracted NHRC notices, a parliamentary debate, a public disavowal from performer Nora Fatehi, and summons from the National Commission for Women. At a press conference held with the film’s team, Kichcha Sudeep became the most prominent voice to stand beside director Prem through all of it, arguing that the director’s record in Kannada cinema deserves more weight than a single disputed song.At a recent press conference held with the film’s team, Kichcha Sudeep was asked about the controversy surrounding Sarke Chunar Teri Sarke, the Hindi version of the song featuring Nora Fatehi and Sanjay Dutt that drew a wall of criticism for its sexually explicit lyrics. Rather than distancing himself from the episode, Sudeep chose to speak in defence of the man who directed the film and wrote the original Kannada lyrics.He pointed to Prem’s broader catalogue as context for who the filmmaker is. “Prem has made songs in the past that have brought us closer to our parents, songs on mothers’ love and emotions, which we’ve heard on loop,” Kichcha Sudeep said. The argument he was making was a simple one: one disputed song should not be the lens through which an entire career is judged.Kichcha Sudeep then drew a line between what audiences within Karnataka understand about Prem and what those outside the state can reasonably be expected to know. He suggested that critics unfamiliar with Prem’s contribution to Sandalwood were speaking from a position of limited perspective. “People outside Karnataka can say what they wish to, but we should keep in mind the contribution this man has given,” he said.He also acknowledged, without quite calling it a mistake, that the song had not landed the way it was intended. “I am not saying he has made a mistake with his song; sometimes, some things don’t work, and it’s okay,” Kichcha Sudeep said.Kichcha Sudeep himself plays a cameo in KD: The Devil, with his casting being announced on March 26 by KVN Productions via a character poster, ten days after the controversy over the song had already erupted.How the controversy unfoldedThe song Sarse Ninna Seraga Sarse was released on March 14, 2026, simultaneously in five languages, Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam. The Hindi version, titled Sarke Chunar Teri Sarke, drew immediate backlash for its lyrics, which critics and viewers described as vulgar, sexually suggestive and demeaning to women. The track disappeared from YouTube within two days. The National Commission for Women subsequently issued summons to Nora Fatehi and Sanjay Dutt.Story continues below this adNora Fatehi addressed the episode in a video posted on Instagram. She said she had originally filmed the Kannada version of the song three years earlier and had relied on the filmmakers’ description of its content, as she does not understand the language. She called the Hindi lyrics very inappropriate, said she had disassociated herself from the project.Also Read: Mohanlal’s Drishyam 3: ‘Scared’ Georgekutty wonders who else is out there watching them. WatchDirector Prem, who wrote the original Kannada lyrics, attributed the problem to the Hindi translation rather than to his own material. He said the Kannada version had attracted no objections and that his limited fluency in Hindi had prevented him from catching the problematic phrasing in lyricist Raqueeb Alam’s translation before release. Raqueeb Alam, for his part, maintained that he had done nothing more than translate the Kannada original.About KD: The DevilKD: The Devil is a period gangster drama written and directed by Prem, produced by Venkat K. Narayana under KVN Productions. Set in the 1970s, the film follows Kaalidasa Alam, also known as KD, a gangster whose journey unfolds across violent confrontations and shifting loyalties. Dhruva Sarja plays the lead. The ensemble cast includes Sanjay Dutt as Dhak Deva, Shilpa Shetty as Satyavati, V. Ravichandran as Annayappa, Ramesh Aravind as Dharma, Reeshma Nanaiah, Jisshu Sengupta and P. Ravi Shankar. The film is set to be released on April 30.Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd