The premiere of ‘Kantara: Chapter 1’ has been met with widespread acclaim, generating impressive box office numbers. Starring Rishab Shetty, the film serves as a prequel, exploring events that occurred thousands of years before the 2022 release of ‘Kantara’. At the conclusion of ‘Kantara Chapter 1’, the filmmakers reportedly hinted at a third installment in the franchise. The sequel, tentatively titled ‘Kantara: A Legend Chapter 2,’ has yet to be officially announced by the production team. Rishab Shetty not only stars in the movie but also serves as its director and writer. He portrays the character of Berme, alongside Rukmini Vasanth as Kanakavathi and Gulshan Devaiah as Kulashekara. The film’s visuals are brought to life by cinematographer Arvind S. Kashyap, and the music, a key element of the original film’s success, is composed by B. Ajaneesh Loknath. The production is overseen by Vijay Kiragandur under the banner of Hombale Films. ‘Kantara Chapter 1’ has performed well at the box office, earning Rs 60 crore on its opening day. While impressive, this figure is slightly less than the initial collections of ‘They Call Him OG’ and ‘Coolie’, which garnered Rs 63.73 crore and Rs 77 crore, respectively, on their opening days. The 2022 film ‘Kantara,’ also directed by and starring Rishab Shetty, featured Sapthami Gowda, Kishore, and Achyuth Kumar. The story centers on a Kambala champion whose conflicts with a forest officer ignite a broader dispute involving sacred land, ancestral traditions, and the clash between human law and nature. Upon its release, ‘Kantara’ became the highest-grossing Kannada film of all time, and Rishab Shetty received the National Film Award for Best Actor.
