At the recently concluded International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa there was a lot of discussion when Dhurandhar actor Ranveer Singh imitated the Daiva performance from Kantara on stage.
The incident got a lot of different reactions online, but Kantara actor-director Rishab Shetty has now spoken out about the bigger issue in his first public comments since the controversy.
Rishab Shetty spoke about the responsibility that comes with showing deeply rooted cultural traditions on screen at an event organised by Behindwoods in Chennai.
He didn't name Ranveer Singh directly, but he did talk about the dangers of making movies like Kantara, where religious beliefs and customs can sometimes be misunderstood or turned into popular culture when they reach a wider audience.
Rishab said that while making Kantara, he and his team talked to a lot of elders to make sure that the daiva tradition was shown in a way that was true to life and respectful. But he said that once these kinds of movies become popular, people often start to casually recreate or act out these parts. He said that this makes him uncomfortable and stressed that the daiva is not just a movie performance but a sacred and important tradition.
"The daiva part is holy and sensitive. "Wherever I go, I ask people not to do it on stage or make fun of it," Rishab said, adding that it hurts him deeply to see the tradition being copied despite the film team's repeated requests.
The fight started when Ranveer Singh and Rishab Shetty met at IFFI and talked about Kantara while doing the daiva movements. Reports say that he did the same thing on stage again, even though Rishab asked him not to. Many people thought the act was rude, which led to criticism on social media.
After the backlash, Ranveer Singh apologized publicly on Instagram. He explained that what he did was meant to show how much he admired Rishab Shetty's strong performance. He wrote, "Actor to actor, I know how much it would take to perform that particular scene," showing how much he respected Rishab's work. He also said sorry to anyone who was hurt and said that he respects all cultures, traditions, and beliefs very much.
Both actors are still doing well in their careers, even though there is a lot of controversy. Kantara (2022) and its prequel Kantara: Chapter 1 (2025) are two of the highest-grossing Kannada movies, after KGF: Chapter 2. Dhurandhar, which stars Ranveer Singh, is doing well in theaters right now and is one of the highest-grossing movies of the year.
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