Pragathi Rishab Shetty

Costume Designer/Actress

Biography

Pragathi Rishab Shetty , also known as Pragathi Shetty , is an acclaimed Indian costume designer who has carved her own niche in the Kannada film industry. Before entering the cinema, she worked in the IT sector in Bengaluru, but after marrying actor-filmmaker Rishab Shetty, she shifted her focus to fashion and costume design, following her passion for creativity. Pragathi has steadily built her reputation with unique design choices in films like Bell Bottom and Sarkari Hiriya Prathamika Shaale, where her costumes played a vital role in adding authenticity to characters and stories. She is also a devoted mother to two children, Ranvit and Radhya, and balances her professional career with her family life. Her biggest recognition came with the magnum opus Kantara: Chapter 1, where she worked as the costume designer. Since the film is set in an ancient era inspired by folklore and rituals, Pragathi carried out extensive research for over six months to recreate authentic looks for tribal and royal characters. She designed more than a thousand costumes for the project, with the lead actors alone requiring hundreds of looks and multiple changeovers. From silks sourced in South India to leather from Rajasthan and metals from Bengal, she brought together diverse elements to ensure the costumes reflected the cultural richness of the period. Every outfit was customized rather than readymade, ensuring accuracy in design, silhouette, and texture. Pragathi revealed that she studied sculptures, paintings, and traditional dance forms to create new designs that felt rooted in history yet original to the film. Her creative philosophy was to make the costumes a reference point for future filmmakers attempting similar period dramas. A special highlight from her work was wearing her mother’s 30-year-old saree in the film for a queen’s costume, which reflected her emotional attachment and dedication to authenticity. At the premiere of Kantara: Chapter 1, Pragathi received widespread recognition, and her emotional reaction when audiences praised her work captured attention across media. Today, Pragathi Rishab Shetty is celebrated not only as the wife of Rishab Shetty but as a creative force in her own right, known for her painstaking research, cultural sensitivity, and passion for detail. With Kantara: Chapter 1, her work has set a new benchmark in costume design, proving that her artistry is as important to the storytelling as any performance or technical craft.