Will Shivanna-Sudeep's 'The Villain' release on Aug 24? Prem will decide it, says producer CR Manohar

The chances of Shivaraj Kumar and Kiccha Sudeep-starrer The Villain release on August 24 are bleak as the post-production works of the movie are yet to be completed, but producer CR Manohar is hopeful of releasing the movie if the movie clears the censor test on time.

"We never announced that release date of The Villain. For that matter, we can only announce once getting clearance from the regional censor board, " producer CR Manohar told The International Business Times.

On reminding about the wide-spread rumours of The Villain hitting the screens on the said date, he responds, "Owing to Prem's Varamahalaksmi festival sentiment, people might have believed that the film would be hitting the screens on August 24,"

However, he does not deny the chances of The Villain releasing on the aforementioned date. "It is in Prem's hands and only he will decide the date," CR Manohar adds, stating that the Kannada film will be submitted to the regional censor board for the certification this week.

With the new online censoring process in place, a movie has to be certified within 21 days of application, but at the least it takes four days to clear the test.

The shooting of The Villain was completed on July 23 and the post-production work have been happening ever since. The movie has CGI work which is taking more time than expected. Prem is working round the clock to finish the flick on time.

If the movie fails to release this month, the next date for its release is said to be September 13 to coincide with the Ganesh festival celebration.

The Villain is an ambitious project of Prem which unites Sandalwood biggies - Sudeep and Shivaraj Kumar - for the first time in the leads.