Director Mansore’s (Manjunatha Somashekara Reddy) ACT 1978 will be the first Kannada film to hit theatres under the new pandemic norms. This follows a series of re-releases after the Karnataka government permitted theatres to re-open on October 16. The National award-winning director who had earlier said he would release his film post Deepavali, has fixed November 20 as the date. The director and cinematographer took to various platforms to make the announcement.

The director also attached a short note explaining the hardwork of hundreds of people behind the making of the film. “The success of the film, which is in the hands of audiences, will solve many uncertainities which have been surrounding us since the lockdown,” he said.

The social thriller, which has received a U certificate, will be distributed by KRG Studios and screened at various theatres across Karnataka. The makers have created hype for the film through a poster — featuring the protagonist played by Yajna Shetty — and the trailer, which was released on PRK's YouTube channel. This has raised further expectations for the film which comes from the writer and director of films like Harivu and Nathicharami.

The film, which has just one theme song with lyrics by Jayanth Kaikini, has background music scored by Rahul Shivashankar and Ronada Bakkesh. Apart from Yajna Shetty, Act 1978 will also feature 28 artistes, including Pramod Shetty, B Suresha, Shruthi, and Achyuth Kumar.