This cult classic Kiccha Sudeep film to get an upgraded re-release in theatres

Close to 23 years ago, actor Sudeep earned his first major success in the form of 'Huchcha', a film directed by Om Prakash Rao. The same film, which has gained cult status over the years, is now set to be re-released in theatres with improved sound quality. The exact date of the release is yet to be announced.

Although 'Huchcha' came as a remake of the 1999 film 'Sethu' (starring Chiyaan Vikram & Abitha and directed by Bala), Sudeep's powerful portrayal of the central character Sachidananda aka Kiccha earned him rave reviews from critics and a lot of love and praise from audiences. So much so that the name of his character would stick to him as a moniker and today, the whole world recognises him as Kiccha Sudeep.

In the film, Sudeep's Sachidananda transforms from a troublemaker to a "gentler" soul when he falls in love with the obedient Abishta (played by Rekha Vedavyas). However, tragedy strikes this unlikely relationship when Kiccha is almost fatally attacked by goons and suffers brain damage - Sudeep's performance tracing this complex journey of this character is still regarded as one of his best to date.

The same story was retold in Telugu as 'Seshu' (starring Rajasekhar and Kaveri) and as 'Tere Naam' in Hindi, starring Salman Khan and Bhumika Chawla. Interestingly, it is said that both Upendra and Shiva Rajkumar turned down the offer to star in 'Huchcha'.

For Sudeep, the film was evidently a turning point considering that he hadn't made the best of starts to his career. His debut film 'Thayavva' (1997) was a box office failure and so were the subsequent releases 'Prathyartha' and 'Sparsha', meaning that he was in dire need of a hit at the time. 

However, as the actor recounted not very long ago in an interview, 'Huchcha' wasn't technically destined to be a major success but the film got there through some of his own intervention. He says that the film received subpar distribution initially and one of the main theatres meant for screening was actually known to show, let's say, slightly "shady" films. 

Sudeep would then take the help of the cleaning staff of his father's hotel and mop up the theatre so that audiences would at least give the film a chance. Eventually, the film would gain word-of-mouth praise and emerge as a major success, earning him his first box office hit. The rest is history, as they say, for 'Kiccha' Sudeep.