Kantara: Chapter 1 explores themes of faith and spirituality rooted in the rich folklore of coastal Karnataka, and actor-director Rishab Shetty says his intention was not to create a film tied to any specific ideology but to share a compelling story that resonates with universal human experiences.
The Kannada film, which is set in pre-colonial Karnataka and depicts the conflict between the tribals of the Kantara forest and a tyrannical king, released in theatres on October 2 and has earned Rs 600 crore globally.
"As a storyteller, I always think, I should never be biased, and that we should tell stories to people, like about our folklore, Bharatiyata, and our belief system of nature worshipping. So by adding all these elements we made this story.
"Irrespective of all (political) parties and people, there is no ideology or agenda in this (film), we are just establishing this story, and people are liking and appreciating it," Shetty told PTI in an interview.
Kantara: Chapter 1 serves as a prelude to the 2022 blockbuster "Kantara", which became a cultural phenomenon for its rooted storytelling and went on to become one of the highest-grossing Kannada films of all time.
As storyteller, Shetty, who has also written the film along with Anirudh Mahesh and Shanil Guru, said he doesn't believe in "pushing his thought process" on audiences.
“You should have some experience… like you go to temple, you pray and worship God, you feel it, you do not talk about it to someone else because that is your experience with your God.
"So, we gave that experience through the story... it is up to you and your choice how you take things from it," he explained.
The 42-year-old actor-filmmaker's own relationship with spirituality is deep-rooted.
"My mother worships (God) a lot, and even and I do so. We all as a family worship God a lot, it's our routine, it's our lifestyle. I do puja on the shooting spot; we worship the camera and start shooting.” The challenge with “Kantara: Chapter 1”, according to Shetty, was devising the right storyline.
“It was challenging from the word go, right from getting the story. Like, 'Kantara' was easy in terms of the story, it's a straightforward (narrative) about this guy who is on a wrong route, and one knows that he will realise it, he will be enlightened, Daiva will bring him on the right path. That’s what happens,” he shared.
“But this time ('Kantara: Chapter 1') one doesn't know why Berme (his character) has come here, how is the dynamics between him and the first king Vijayendra, how is his approach, how are all the characters behaving, and talking, so to establish all of that was very difficult,” the actor said, expressing his gratitude to Hombale Films, the production house behind the project, for their unwavering support throughout the process of the making the movie.
Shetty said the biggest challenge for his team in creating the world of the epic period mythological action drama was the lack of references about that bygone era.
He added that the team often worked day and night with minimal breaks for crafting this cinematic gem.
"We did a lot of research, talked to a lot of people, collected some information, and brought all of that into our story. The whole team worked hard, especially DOP, cinematographer worked on how to make it visually appealing, production designer worked on creating the palace, street, tribals.
Also Read: Kantara: Chapter 1 sells over 10 million tickets, continues to dominate box office
"Besides, extensive work was done on the costumes as well, we tried to ensure that the characters should look colourful and realistic and for that, Pragathi (his wife) and team did a lot of research, they sought inspiration from the designs of the temples for creating costumes for female characters," he added.
The actor-director assures the ardent fans of "Kantara" franchise that he will expand the universe in the near future.
"There are a lot of stories to be told in the world of 'Kantara' but I don’t know when and how I’ll do it," he said, adding that next year he will begin work on his new film "Jai Hanuman".
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