Before Kantara turned him into one of Kannada cinema’s most celebrated voices, Rishab Shetty knew what failure tasted like. In a candid chat with Siddharth Kannan, the actor-director opened up about the long road before success, a time when he and his friend Rakshit Shetty had to literally beg people to watch their films.
“The films we did were not working,” Rishab said. “We are friends, more than brothers. We are emotionally connected and professionally too. But we didn’t start out very well. There were hardly any opportunities.”
The two met years ago when Rishab was working as a clap boy and assistant director, while Rakshit was trying to find his footing as an actor. Their friendship grew through shared struggle, shared hunger, and shared disappointment. When Rishab made his directorial debut with Ricky in 2016, starring Rakshit in the lead, they thought it would change everything. Instead, the film tanked.
That’s when things got desperate. “We used to stand outside theaters screening our film and request people to go watch it, giving tickets away,” Rishab recalled. “But those people would sell the ticket for ₹10 to buy booze. That was also a time we faced.”
He paused, reflecting on the humiliation of that moment, and how close they were to giving up. “We sat on the theater steps and cried. It was painful to see your hard work being ignored. You start questioning your choices, your talent, everything.”
At that time, both of them were nobodies trying to be heard in a crowded industry. “We had no godfathers, no support. It was just two friends trying to make something out of nothing,” he said. “But those failures taught us everything. They made us value success differently.”
That early heartbreak only hardened their resolve. Rishab went on to direct Kirik Party (produced by Rakshit) and later Kantara, which became one of the most successful Indian films of 2022. Rakshit, meanwhile, found acclaim with 777 Charlie the same year.
Looking back, Rishab says the dark days were necessary. “When I see people appreciating our work now, it feels good, but I never forget that we’ve seen rejection too. We’ve seen the other side,” he said.
From handing out tickets no one wanted to creating a film that united an entire state, the Shettys’ story isn’t just about success. It’s about persistence, humility, and the faith that tomorrow could still surprise you.
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