Kantara Chapter 1 Premiere: Rishab Shetty's Mythological Action Film To Screen A Day Early In Telugu States

Kantara Chapter 1 Premiere: Kannada filmmaker and actor Rishab Shetty is set to release his upcoming period mythological action thriller, Kantara: Chapter 1, worldwide on October 2, 2025. Produced under the Hombale Films banner by Vijay Kiragandur and Chaluve Gowda, the film serves as a prequel to the 2022 hit Kantara and will be released in Kannada, along with dubbed versions in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi.

According to NTV Telugu, Kantara: Chapter 1 will have early night premieres in the Telugu states on October 1, a day before the official release. This follows a growing trend in Tollywood, where films such as the recently released OG have held advance screenings. NTV Telugu notes that ticket prices for the premieres in Andhra Pradesh have been increased by ₹50, with the necessary approvals reportedly in place. Film industry tracker Sreedhar Pillai also noted on X that "Kantara: Chapter 1 may open with paid premieres on Oct 1st, a day before its release on Oct 2."

The prequel marks another ambitious project for Rishab Shetty, who not only directs but also plays the lead role. Kantara (2022), which performed strongly at the box office despite low initial expectations, has prompted the makers to continue the story with Kantara: Chapter 1, this time on a larger scale targeting audiences across multiple regions.

Kantara: Chapter 1 Prepares for Dasara Release Across Languages

The film's ensemble cast includes Rukmini Vasanth as Kanakavathi, Gulshan Devaiah as Kulashekara, and Jayaram in a supporting role. The production has involved a large team across departments, including cinematography by Arvind S Kashyap, music and background score by B. Ajaneesh Loknath, and stunt choreography by Arjun Raj, Todor Lazarov, Ram-Laxman, Mahesh Mathew, and Mithun Singh Rajput. Art direction and production design were handled by Dharani Gangeputra and Banglan, respectively, while Suresh served as the editor.

Hombale Films, known for its previous large-scale productions like KGF: Chapter 1 & 2 and Salaar, is handling the distribution and marketing for the film. In the Telugu states, the distribution rights have been acquired at a reported high cost, with prominent distributor Mythri Movie Makers securing the Nizam region rights.

With its release scheduled during the Dasara festival, Kantara: Chapter 1 is expected to reach audiences across multiple languages, following the growing interest in regional films among viewers nationwide.