Venomous Viper is an upcoming English-language action spy thriller film series created, written and directed by Baz Kannan. The franchise began development in 2024, with its first teaser trailer released in 2025, introducing the character of Disha Das and establishing the tone, visual style and world of Venomous Viper. Disha was portrayed by actress Mandi Sidhu, best known for her roles as Colly in Love Aaj Kal (2009) and Rohini in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011).
Venomous Viper is an upcoming English-language action spy thriller film series created, written and directed by Baz Kannan. The franchise began development in 2024, with its first teaser trailer released in 2025, introducing the character of Disha Das and establishing the tone, visual style and world of Venomous Viper. Disha was portrayed by actress Mandi Sidhu, best known for her roles as Colly in Love Aaj Kal (2009) and Rohini in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011).
The original Venomous Viper teaser was produced in 2025 by Kannan Creative Productions in association with Mainvision Productions. Mainvision Productions subsequently ceased operations in 2026, with its former branding later replaced by Project 33 Films. As Project 33 Films was not involved in the production of Venomous Viper, its branding is not associated with the project. Following the closure of Mainvision Productions, subsequent versions and promotional materials for Venomous Viper, including Venomous Viper: Festival Cut, no longer use the Mainvision Productions branding, while the company’s contribution to the original 2025 production remains acknowledged in the project’s production history.
Footage originally produced for the teaser was subsequently re-edited and expanded into Venomous Viper: Festival Cut (2026), a standalone micro-short film created for screenings and festival distribution. The film uses the existing footage to present Disha and the world of Venomous Viper in a self-contained short-film format.
A short film titled Venomous Viper: Outcall is currently in development. Set before the events depicted in the existing material, Outcall is intended to serve as the narrative entry point for the series and follows a younger Disha during an earlier stage of her development as an operative. The role is expected to be recast to reflect the character’s younger age.
An untitled Venomous Viper feature film is also currently in development as part of the Kannan Creative Universe (KCU), an interconnected cinematic universe focused on global espionage stories featuring South Asian protagonists.
| Directed by | Baz Kannan |
|---|---|
| Written by | Arvind Murali Baz Kannan |
| Produced by | Baz Kannan Karan Maini Peter Smyth |
| Starring | Mandi Sidhu |
| Production Companies | Mainvision Productions (Teaser) Kannan Creative Productions |
| Executive Producer | Baz Kannan |
| Music by | Tharun Musicals |
| Cinematography by | Stuart Swindell |
| Running time |
1 minute 30 seconds (Teaser Trailer) 2 minutes 55 seconds (Festival Cut) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $4000 USD (estimate) |
| Release date |
Venomous Viper (Teaser) – 18 July 2025 Venomous Viper: Festival Cut (2026) |
Premise
The story follows Disha Das, a British-born Indian elite operative of North and South Indian heritage. Operating under the codename Lady Viper, she is part of the rogue vigilante organization Sentinel CovOps (SCO), which takes down high-profile criminals that the legal system cannot touch. Disguised as Kavya Reign, a high-society model and seductress, Disha uses her beauty, intelligence, and combat skills to infiltrate and eliminate targets, leaving behind cryptic Tamil and Sanskrit cards as her signature.
Her primary mission is to dismantle the Alpha War Dogs, a global cult-like organization posing as a men’s self-improvement movement, but secretly trafficking women and exploiting loopholes in UK and European prostitution laws. Their main operations are based in the fictional borough of Barnt Hills, West Midlands and San Diego, California.
Cast
Venomous Viper: Festival Cut (2026)
- Mandi Sidhu as Disha Das / Kavya Reign
- Gurdev Sohal as Shah
- Connor Horn as Alpha War Dogs Member (Photograph)
- Ashwath Ram as Akhilesh (Photograph)
- Amal Nair as G.A.T.A. Agent Alex Mathews (Photograph)
Venomous Viper: Outcall
Currently in development.
- TBC as Disha Das / Kavya Reign
- TBC as Priyan Shah
Production
Development
The teaser was conceived as a proof-of-concept to introduce the tone, world, and character of Disha Das to global audiences, potential stakeholders and investors.
Casting
Mandi Sidhu portrayed the character of Disha Das in the proof-of-concept teaser for Venomous Viper. She was cast for her combination of performance experience and screen presence, having previously appeared in Bollywood films such as Love Aaj Kal and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, where she shared the screen with leading stars including Hrithik Roshan, Saif Ali Khan, and Deepika Padukone.
Filming
Principal photography for the teaser took place on 21–22 June 2025 in Birmingham, United Kingdom, with key action and set-piece scenes shot locally.
Music
The original score and music were composed by Tharun Musicals, a Montreal-based Tamil composer. This marks his third collaboration with Baz Kannan, following Manjal Malare and the KCU Launch.
Marketing
A 1-minute and 30-second teaser of Venomous Viper was officially released on 18 July 2025 via the Venomous Viper Instagram and YouTube pages. The teaser showcases Disha Das preparing for her mission inside a safehouse, with visuals inspired by noir thrillers and modern espionage cinema.
The teaser received a strong reception, surpassing 3 million views on Instagram, drawing praise for its cinematography, music, and central performance by Mandi Sidhu.
Release
The Venomous Viper teaser was officially released online on 18 July 2025, introducing Disha Das, portrayed by Mandi Sidhu, and establishing the tone and visual style of the action-spy thriller series. Footage produced for the teaser was subsequently re-edited and expanded into Venomous Viper: Festival Cut (2026), a standalone micro-short film created for screenings and festival distribution.
The franchise remains in active development. The upcoming short film Venomous Viper: Outcall is set before the previously released material and is intended to serve as a narrative entry point to the series, focusing on a younger Disha. An untitled Venomous Viper feature film is also currently in development as part of the wider Kannan Creative Universe (KCU).
Reception
The project gained significant online traction following the release of the Venomous Viper teaser in July 2025. Within weeks of release, the teaser surpassed 3 million views and received over 9,000 likes on Instagram, drawing attention to its production design, atmospheric visual style and introduction of Disha Das as a South Asian female anti-heroine.
Footage originally produced for the teaser was subsequently re-edited and expanded into Venomous Viper: Festival Cut (2026), a standalone micro-short created for screenings and international film festival distribution. The film received its first theatrical screening at the Mockingbird Cinema in Birmingham on 21 August 2026 before entering the festival circuit.
As of October 2026, Venomous Viper: Festival Cut has received four festival awards, winning at the Thilsri International Film Festival, Iconic Indie Film Awards, London Indie Film Festival, and Luleå International Film Festival. It also received an Honorable Mention at the Hollywood Best Indie Film Awards and was nominated for Best Micro Short Film at the Birmingham Film Festival. The film was additionally selected by the Athvikvaruni International Film Festival.
The festival recognition forms part of the continuing development of the Venomous Viper franchise, with the prequel short film Venomous Viper: Outcall and an untitled feature film currently in development as part of the wider Kannan Creative Universe (KCU).
Future
The teaser serves as a launchpad for the planned Venomous Viper feature-length franchise, with Baz Kannan confirming that additional shorts and feature film instalments are in development under the Kannan Creative Universe (KCU).
References
(To be added once published sources are available)
External Links
- Venomous Viper Teaser Trailer
- Venomous Viper Official Instagram
- Venomous Viper Official YouTube
- Venomous Viper Official TikTok
- Venomous Viper Official Twitter / X
- Venomous Viper Official Facebook
- Baz Kannan on IMDb
- Baz Kannan on Instagram
- Mandi Sidhu on IMDb
- Karan Maini on IMDb
- MainVision Productions on Instagram
- MainVision Productions on YouTube
