# Kranti (ಕ್ರಾಂತಿ) (2023 film)
**Kranti** (ಕ್ರಾಂತಿ) is a 2023 Indian Kannada-language action drama film written, directed, and scored by [V. Harikrishna](https://www.edgepedia.org/v-harikrishna), starring Darshan as Kranti Rayanna, an NRI businessman who returns to India after 20 years and fights a conspiracy to take over thousands of government schools.[1](https://15th.biffes.org/public/assets/images/pdf/15th-biffes-final-book.pdf) • [2](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/kranti/umc.cmc.1pm5w8yxl16shj7czqyb7xz36) It was produced by Shylaja Nag and B. Suresha under the Media House Studio banner and released in theaters on 26 January 2023.[3](https://www.filmibeat.com/kannada/movies/darshan-kranti/story.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director and writer | V. Harikrishna, in his second film as director after *Yajamana* (2019); he also composed the music[1](https://15th.biffes.org/public/assets/images/pdf/15th-biffes-final-book.pdf) • [4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/kannada/review/2023/Jan/26/kranti-movie-review-darshans-screen-presence-uplifts-this-commercial-entertainer-39297.html) |
| Lead cast | Darshan as Kranti Rayanna, with Rachita Ram, V. Ravichandran, Tarun Arora, P. Ravi Shankar, and Sampath Raj[1](https://15th.biffes.org/public/assets/images/pdf/15th-biffes-final-book.pdf) |
| Release | 26 January 2023, Kannada; CBFC certified U/A on 20 January 2023[3](https://www.filmibeat.com/kannada/movies/darshan-kranti/story.html) • [5](https://www.cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/assets/pdf/Films_certified_2023.pdf) |
| Runtime | 163 minutes (CBFC length 162.58 minutes)[1](https://15th.biffes.org/public/assets/images/pdf/15th-biffes-final-book.pdf) • [5](https://www.cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/assets/pdf/Films_certified_2023.pdf) |
| Plot premise | A mafia works to close government schools and privatize education; Kranti Rayanna leads a revolution to protect students[2](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/kranti/umc.cmc.1pm5w8yxl16shj7czqyb7xz36) |
| Box office | Sacnilk reports ₹48.20 Cr worldwide gross and ₹40.90 Cr India net against a stated ₹35.00 Cr budget; trade reports differ (see below)[6](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Kranti_2023) |
| Streaming | Prime Video from 23 February 2023, in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam[7](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/kannada/news/2023/Feb/20/darshans-kranti-to-begin-streaming-on-prime-video-on-this-date-40168.html) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Kranti Rayanna (Darshan) is a business tycoon who has lived in Europe for 20 years, abiding by his father Bhargav Narayan's (Ravichandran) instruction.[4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/kannada/review/2023/Jan/26/kranti-movie-review-darshans-screen-presence-uplifts-this-commercial-entertainer-39297.html) An alumnus of a government school, he is invited by his favorite teacher (B Suresha) to attend the school's centenary celebrations, and the event changes his life.[4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/kannada/review/2023/Jan/26/kranti-movie-review-darshans-screen-presence-uplifts-this-commercial-entertainer-39297.html) He learns that a large mafia is working to close government schools and privatize education for profit, and he begins a revolution against it.[2](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/kranti/umc.cmc.1pm5w8yxl16shj7czqyb7xz36) In the film's telling, the antagonist Salatri Educational Institutions seeks to acquire 12,000 government schools in [Karnataka](https://www.edgepedia.org/karnataka) and remodel them as private schools, aided by a ganglord and an MLA.[8](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/kranti-review-tedious-rehash-relies-entirely-darshans-star-power-172489) • [9](https://filmi.ai/film/kranti-2023/) The film's theme is described as "Akshara Kranti".[7](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/kannada/news/2023/Feb/20/darshans-kranti-to-begin-streaming-on-prime-video-on-this-date-40168.html)
## Production and music
V. Harikrishna, a film score and soundtrack composer who turned director with *Yajamana* (2019), wrote the story and dialogues in addition to directing and composing.[1](https://15th.biffes.org/public/assets/images/pdf/15th-biffes-final-book.pdf) • [10](https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/kranti-kannada-movie-review/) Karunakar handled cinematography, Prakash Karinja edited, and Shashidhar Adapa led the art department.[1](https://15th.biffes.org/public/assets/images/pdf/15th-biffes-final-book.pdf) • [7](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/kannada/news/2023/Feb/20/darshans-kranti-to-begin-streaming-on-prime-video-on-this-date-40168.html) The soundtrack includes the songs "Don't Mess With Him", "Bombe Bombe" (sung by [Sonu Nigam](https://www.edgepedia.org/sonu-nigam), with lyrics by Yogaraj Bhat), "Dharani", and "Pushpavathi".[11](https://kannadamoviesinfo.wordpress.com/2023/01/27/kranthi-2023/) Filming locations included Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chikkamagaluru, Mysuru, and Poland.[11](https://kannadamoviesinfo.wordpress.com/2023/01/27/kranthi-2023/) Kannada Filmibeat identifies the film as Darshan's 55th.[12](https://kannada.filmibeat.com/movies/kranti.html)
## Release and box office
The film was certified U/A by the [Central Board of Film Certification](https://www.edgepedia.org/central-board-of-film-certification) on 20 January 2023 and released theatrically on 26 January 2023.[5](https://www.cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/assets/pdf/Films_certified_2023.pdf) • [3](https://www.filmibeat.com/kannada/movies/darshan-kranti/story.html) Sacnilk's day-wise tracking shows ₹9.8 Cr net on the opening day in the Kannada version, with collections declining to about ₹1.9 Cr by 4 February.[6](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Kranti_2023)
Reported totals differ substantially between trackers. Sacnilk lists ₹48.20 Cr worldwide gross, ₹40.90 Cr India net, and no overseas gross, against a stated budget of ₹35.00 Cr, and notes that its figures are approximate and may differ from producer figures.[6](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Kranti_2023) FilmiBeat, by contrast, reports a budget of 250 million (25 crores) and worldwide collections of 109 Cr, including 100 Cr in the first four days.[3](https://www.filmibeat.com/kannada/movies/darshan-kranti/story.html) Cinema Express reported that the film grossed over Rs 1 billion (Rs 100 crore) before its streaming debut.[7](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/kannada/news/2023/Feb/20/darshans-kranti-to-begin-streaming-on-prime-video-on-this-date-40168.html) Despite the spread in figures, the Ormax Box Office Report places Kranti among the top five Kannada films of 2023 by gross box office, in a year when [Kannada cinema](https://www.edgepedia.org/kannada-cinema)'s gross fell 61 percent from 2022.[13](https://www.ormaxmedia.com/data/library/TheOrmaxBoxOfficeReport-2023.pdf)
Prime Video began streaming the film on 23 February 2023 in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam.[7](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/kannada/news/2023/Feb/20/darshans-kranti-to-begin-streaming-on-prime-video-on-this-date-40168.html) • [14](https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/information/story/kranti-on-ott-platform-release-date-where-to-watch-cast-and-plot-2337588-2023-02-21)
## Reception
**Critical response was mixed to negative.** Cinema Express gave 3 out of 5, writing that Darshan's screen presence anchors the story and that the film addresses problems in the education system, while calling the first-half train sequences rudderless.[4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/kannada/review/2023/Jan/26/kranti-movie-review-darshans-screen-presence-uplifts-this-commercial-entertainer-39297.html) The South First also rated it 3, calling it a treat for Darshan's fans and a regular commercial film with lessons on the educational system for others.[10](https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/kranti-kannada-movie-review/) Deccan Herald's Vivek M.V. gave 2.5 and called it old-school and tiresome.[9](https://filmi.ai/film/kranti-2023/) The News Minute was the most negative, calling Kranti a tedious rehash that relies entirely on Darshan's star power, with a wafer-thin plot and villains given little weight.[8](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/kranti-review-tedious-rehash-relies-entirely-darshans-star-power-172489) Aggregating three reviews, Filmi.ai computed a Filmi Score of 39 out of 100, which it labels weak.[9](https://filmi.ai/film/kranti-2023/)
The film's social subject drew on a real situation: Cinema Express notes that 12,000 government schools had shut across Karnataka, leaving about 75,000 teachers jobless and affecting over 2 million (20 lakh) students.[4](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/kannada/review/2023/Jan/26/kranti-movie-review-darshans-screen-presence-uplifts-this-commercial-entertainer-39297.html) During promotion, a slipper was thrown at Darshan at the launch of the second single, "Bombe Bombe", in Hospet.[3](https://www.filmibeat.com/kannada/movies/darshan-kranti/story.html)
## References
1. [Kranti, 15th Bengaluru International Film Festival catalog](https://15th.biffes.org/public/assets/images/pdf/15th-biffes-final-book.pdf)
2. [Kranti, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/kranti/umc.cmc.1pm5w8yxl16shj7czqyb7xz36)
3. [Kranti: Story, Preview, First Day Box Office Collection, FilmiBeat](https://www.filmibeat.com/kannada/movies/darshan-kranti/story.html)
4. [Kranti Movie Review: Darshan's screen presence uplifts this commercial entertainer, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/kannada/review/2023/Jan/26/kranti-movie-review-darshans-screen-presence-uplifts-this-commercial-entertainer-39297.html)
5. [Films certified in 2023, Central Board of Film Certification](https://www.cbfcindia.gov.in/cbfcAdmin/assets/pdf/Films_certified_2023.pdf)
6. [Kranti (2023-01-26) – Review, Rating & Box Office Collection, Sacnilk](https://www.sacnilk.com/movie/Kranti_2023)
7. [Darshan's Kranti to begin streaming on Prime Video on this date, Cinema Express](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/kannada/news/2023/Feb/20/darshans-kranti-to-begin-streaming-on-prime-video-on-this-date-40168.html)
8. [Kranti review: A tedious rehash that relies entirely on Darshan's star power, The News Minute](https://www.thenewsminute.com/flix/kranti-review-tedious-rehash-relies-entirely-darshans-star-power-172489)
9. [Kranti (Kannada, 2023) review, filmi.ai](https://filmi.ai/film/kranti-2023/)
10. [Kranti review: Darshan's entertaining onscreen revolution echoes plight of government schools, The South First](https://thesouthfirst.com/entertainment/kranti-kannada-movie-review/)
11. [Kranthi – ಕ್ರಾಂತಿ (2023), Kannada Movies Info](https://kannadamoviesinfo.wordpress.com/2023/01/27/kranthi-2023/)
12. [Kranti (2023) Movie, Filmibeat Kannada](https://kannada.filmibeat.com/movies/kranti.html)
13. [The Ormax Box Office Report: 2023, Ormax Media](https://www.ormaxmedia.com/data/library/TheOrmaxBoxOfficeReport-2023.pdf)
14. ['Kranti' on OTT platform: Release date, where to watch, cast and plot, India Today](https://www.indiatoday.in/amp/information/story/kranti-on-ott-platform-release-date-where-to-watch-cast-and-plot-2337588-2023-02-21)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Kannada films of the 2020s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 20, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license