Producer Vijay Kiragandur Kantara confirms the blockbuster Rishab Shetty project will soon have a prequel as Rishab Shetty begins writing the project's script.
In 2022, the Kannada action thriller Kantara became one of the biggest box office successes in Indian cinema. Rishab Shetty wrote and directed the film, which received a tonne of praise from critics and viewers alike for its superb production value and acting. Additionally, Kantara received praise on all major national and international platforms, entered the Oscar race, and earned nominations in two categories, including Best Actor and Best Picture. The second instalment of the Rishab Shetty-starring film has now also been confirmed.
The prequel to Kantara is being scripted by Rishab Shetty.
Producer Vijay Kiragandur, who worked on the acclaimed studio Hombale Films' Kantara, confirmed the project's continuation in a recent interview with Deadline. Interesting, Vijay also confirmed that Rishab Shetty has already started writing the script for the project and that the second instalment will be a prequel to the popular film. According to the producer, Rishab is currently writing the story and spent two months conducting research for the movie in the forests of coastal Karnataka.
"Since a portion of the shoot requires the rainy season, Rishab intends to begin shooting in June. And in April or May of next year, we plan to release the movie across all of India "Vijay Kiragandur mentioned this in his correspondence with Deadline.
Kantara enters the Oscar contest.
The blockbuster period drama directed by SS Rajamouli, RRR, is the first South Indian film to have entered this year's race; the Rishab Shetty-helmed film is the second. Rishab Shetty, the film's star and director, revealed the incredibly exciting news in a tweet that reads: "We are thrilled to announce that "Kantara" has earned two Oscar nominations! A sincere thank you to everyone who has helped us. We are excited to embark on this journey with your support. I'm looking forward to seeing Kantara shine at the Oscars with @hombalefilms and #HombaleFilms."
Regarding Kantara
The story of Kaadubettu Shiva and his father is told in Kantara, a local ritual dance known as Bhoota Kola, against the backdrop of coastal Karnataka. In the film, which also stars Sapthami Gowda, Kishore, Achyuth Kumar, Pramod Shetty, Prakash Tuminad, Naveen D Padil, and others in key roles, Rishab Shetty played both the lead character Kaadubettu Shiva and his father. Vijay Kiragandur, operating under the Hombale Films banner, is the financier of Kantara. The project, which was initially only released in Kannada, was later dubbed into the languages of Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi after receiving rave reviews from both the general public and members of the film industry.