Exclusive: Kantara Maker Rishab Shetty Doesn't Believe In Pan-India Concept, Calls Him Forever Kannadiga

Kantara is the latest rage in Indian cinema and is hitting the headlines every day for its content, collections, and cultural value. Kantara is the brainchild of Rishab Shetty, who wrote the film, directed it, and even played the protagonist's role. The movie released amid decent expectations and went on to become one of the most successful ventures of the Indian cinema of 2022.

Speaking exclusively to Filmibeat in a zoom interview, Rishab Shetty shared his experience of making Kantara. He spoke at large about how he worked toward making Kantara what it is today.

When asked about how he is enjoying the newfound pan-India and international fame, the down-to-earth actor had a grin on his face before he went on to say, "I don't believe in the pan-India concept. A film is a film and the more native it is, the more it reaches out to a wider audience."

Speaking about his future projects, Rishab Shetty, who identifies himself as a proud Kannadiga of Tulu origin mentioned, "I am very comfortable and happy doing films in Kannada and getting them dubbed. I aim to make films with an impact."

While quizzed about his preparation for the role and especially the climax, Rishab Shetty said that he had carefully studied the culture and rituals of the Tulu community and took extra care to not hurt the religious sentiments of the people.

Kantara is a story about naive villagers, who are largely dependent on the adjoining forest and are ardent believers in their culture. They go to any extent to protect their interests and Shiva is one of them, a hot-headed guy, who is loyal, and sincere.

When a wealthy Dora, who appears to be a kind-hearted man with vested interests tricks Shiva into accomplishing his goal and triggers his weakness, all hell breaks loose. On the other hand, is a duty-minded DFRO played by Kishore, who tries to secure the limits of the reserve forest and discourage villagers from sabotaging the forest. What happens at the end is what stuns the viewers.