Kantara: Rishab Shetty’s film to get paid premieres outside of Karnataka

The film, which will be in theatres on September 30, will have the paid premieres in Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi and Kasargod, where it will be in Kannada with English subtitles.

Rishab Shetty in a still from the film

This Friday, Kannada actor-filmmaker Rishab Shetty brings his newest directorial, Kantara, to theatres. There is a lot of excitement surrounding the film, given that it is a Rishab directorial, produced by KGF makers Hombale Films. But more importantly, because Rishab is set to present yet another tale that is deeply rooted in the culture and traditions of Kundapura in Mangaluru. The film’s setting is also why, he is bringing his film to audiences across the globe in Kannada, with English subtitles.

Over the weekend, advance bookings for the film opened, with several screens having paid premieres on September 29, a day ahead of the official release. The sheer number of premiere shows that have been announced so far is no surprise, as the film’s Karnataka release is being handled by Karthik Gowda, executive producer of Hombale Films and co-founder KRG Studios, one of Sandalwood’s major distribution wings. What is most interesting, though, is that Kantara is getting paid premieres outside of Karnataka too.

Rakshit Shetty had done this for his 777 Charlie earlier this year, but took the dubbed versions of his film to the different markets that he was having premieres in. Kantara, on the other hand, will be released in Kannada only, and will have premieres in Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi and Kasargod too. Sources tell us that the team is likely to add more venues in the coming days.

Kantara, which also stars Kishore, Sapthami Gowda and Achyuth Kumar in pivotal roles, is a tale set in a fictional forest called Kantara, where certain traditions create a man vs nature conflict in an eco-sensitive area, and, thereby, put a forest officer, played by Kishore, at loggerheads with protagonist Shiva (Rishab).

Rishab does not rule out dubbing the film into other languages eventually, when it comes on OTT. But for now, he wants audiences to enjoy it as a Kannada film.

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