Landlord Ignites a Fierce Showdown: Vijay Kumar vs Raj B Shetty in a Raw Village War

Landlord continues to build hype with striking character reveals—starting with Vijay Kumar, followed by Rachita Ram, and now the most explosive unveiling yet: Raj B Shetty as The Ruler. This marks Raj’s first full-fledged antagonist role in Kannada cinema, crafted by writer-director Jadeshaa K Hampi.

The film unites Duniya Vijay and Raj B Shetty for the first time, a pairing Jadeshaa says was essential to the script. “My villain needed real density,” he explains. “Like Vijay Sethupathi in Vikram or Fahadh Faasil in Pushpa 2. Raj’s character isn’t a typical villain—he’s a family man with deep convictions. But his beliefs collide with Vijay’s fight for survival. Raj is the ruler, Vijay the survivor, and their war unfolds in a rugged village landscape.”

Backed by Saarathi Films’ KV Sathyaprakash and Hemanth Gowda KS, Landlord is set for a January 23 theatrical release. Raj says the director was his biggest draw: “I play a man from an oppressive class, someone who will go to any length for power.” He jokingly recalls being nervous about wearing a wig—“but it looked perfect in the teaser,” he laughs. His role also features dialogue in the Kolar dialect.

Vijay Kumar shares a nostalgic memory: “Twenty years ago, I came with fifteen rupees and two tomatoes; Raj came with an egg. We were mocked then. Today, I’m the Survivor, he’s the Ruler.”

The film also stars Bhavana Rao, with dialogues by Maasti, Srikanth, and Manjunath. B Ajaneesh Loknath handles music, Swami J Gowda cranks the visuals, and KM Prakash takes charge of editing.