Rishab Shetty’s much-anticipated film, Kantara, is all set to release on September 30. There is a good pre-release buzz for the film, which comes from the contents of Rishab, known for his works in Kirik Party and Sarkari Hi.Pra.Shaale, among other films. But before the film’s release, Kantara’s director and actor reveal an interesting story behind the film’s genre.
Kantara and the values it brings to the industry
Kantara is about a man vs man scuffle between Rishab and Kishore’s character, set in a fictional forest, Kantara, and includes traditions followed among certain communities.
“Kantara is a film that is deeply rooted in our culture, our traditions, and so much more. Even the language spoken is in the lingo of a particular region of Mangaluru. When I created Kantara, I wanted it to represent our land and our values and present them onscreen to audiences. In fact, filmmakers from the different areas of Karnataka or the country, for that matter, should also bring these kinds of stories to the screen,” says Rishab.
“With films like Ulidavaru Kandanthe and Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana, among others, we have demonstrated that films rooted in a particular culture, language, or region, can still have universal appeal and the focus should be on such stories. Only then are you truly contributing anything to cinema as a filmmaker,” he adds.
Film’s genre
While speaking to the Film Companion South, Rishab Shetty was asked about his film and the portrayal of Kantara as an epic story.
“Kantara’s story was never an epic or a saga at the origin. When I finished penning it, it was only then I realized that this might have those characteristics. Things that I have tried to show in this movie are the ideas that I had back in my College days. It was a shocker when I realized that I have added the same elements but with different content. Yet, this was never an epic story or a saga at first, it became one only when the development was out.”
Speaking about the movie genre, Rishab Shetty reveals that it was never his idea. There were two people involved, making it a ’50-50′ story. “There is an interesting story behind deciding on the movie genre. At first, when I came up with a story, it was hard for me to come up with a perfect name. There were these two people I discussed the situation with. And when I did, one gives the name and the genre ‘Kantara’ (A tale of the woods), and the other one comes up with a totally different saga or epics. So, the first one is Raj B. Shetty and the second one is Rakshit Shetty,” Rishab Shetty explains.
“When I narrated my story to them. They both had different perspectives. Raj made my story look like it was a complete story narrated in the jungles or wildernesses. Meanwhile, Rakshit made it more like a Saga or a fictional tale. After a useful agreement and disagreement, the story was made with 50% Raj’s idea and 50% Rakshit ‘s idea. It was just a beautiful thing that had happened between us,” he adds.
Here’s the full video:
The Kannada film also stars Kishore, Achuth Kumar, and Sapthami Gowda. Produced by Hombale films, the music is given by Ajaneesh B Loknath and Aravind Kashyap does the cinematography.
