Rishab Shetty is not chasing success with Kantara 2: Want to offer unique experience

The prequel of Rishab Shetty’s pan-India hit Kantara will make its theatrical debut next year. The film will go on the floor by the end of December in the coastal region of Karnataka. Talking about the much-anticipated project, the actor-director said he is not trying to prove himself to anyone. His focus is on offering a unique experience to people.

Rishab Shetty on his expectations from Kantara prequel

“I don’t have expectations and all. I am not chasing success with every film, that was not the intention even with Kantara. If I do so then I’ll deviate from my storytelling. My effort is to bring that novelty factor in a story to the audience,” Shetty, who also served as a writer on Kantara, told PTI in an interview.

The makers recently unveiled the first-look teaser of Kantara A Legend: Chapter 1, the prequel to Kantara. The new film will dig into the reign of the Kadamba Dynasty, the ancient royal family of Karnataka. The muhurat of the project was held recently at Anegudde Temple in Kundapur, Karnataka.

What to expect from Kantara A Legend: Chapter 1? 

According to Shetty, Kantara A Legend: Chapter 1 will explore the origins of the Panjurli Deiva and Guliga Deiva, which were a core element in the first film of the franchise. It took about three months to write the prequel of Kantara, he added.

“We had everything ready… The script, dialogue, production, and everything else was ready in three months. We started work on the prequel soon after shooting Kantara as we had plans to do a lot of things. A script like this takes a lot of time,” said the actor-director. 

The 40-year-old said the team was discussing the idea of expanding the film’s universe while shooting for Kantara. “I remember while shooting for Kantara, I had told my team, we could go forward or backward with the story but we had not taken a concrete decision about it.

“People often state that we are making part two when they get a sense that there’s good buzz around the film before its release. After the film was released, Vijay Anna (Kiragandur, producer) and I sat together and decided that we should make a prequel and not a sequel,” Shetty added.

Produced by Vijay Kiragandur of Hombale Films, Kantara A Legend: Chapter 1 will be released in theatres next year in Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali and English.