Exclusive! Is Sapthami Gowda a part of Rishab Shetty's Kantara 2 - here's what she has to say

Rishab Shetty has been away from the arclights for the past couple of weeks and his ardent fans would like to believe that he is busy with Kantara 2. While both Rishab and the production house, Hombale Films, are yet to share an official confirmation about the prospective sequel, speculations are certainly rife that the actor-director is tucked away currently, developing the much-awaited instalment. And the fact that Rishab has opted out of his other commitments following the stellar success of Kantara only fuels the rumour further, evidencing that he is quite keen on exploring the world a bit more.

OTTplay recently spoke to Sapthami Gowda about the likelihood of Kantara 2 and more importantly, whether she would reprise her role as Leela in the film. The 26-year-old actress, who is currently shooting for Vivek Agnihotri's The Vaccine War in Hyderabad (her maiden project in Hindi), not only declines of boasting any knowledge about the sequel but also avows that she hasn't even been in touch with Rishab Shetty for quite some time!

"I wish I could divulge something but the truth is that I have no idea, whatsoever, about what's running on Rishab sir's mind. In fact, I would love to hear from you guys if you know anything about Kantara 2! Truth be told, I hadn't met sir for a really long time and we ran into each other on the stage of a recent social event and we had a very brief conversation. So, I am clueless about what the team is planning to do and how they wish to take things forward - I don't know if Leela will be a part or not," says Sapthami Gowda.

On the other hand, Sapthami is expected to wrap up her portion in The Vaccine War by the 20th of January and begin work on her third Kannada film, Kaali, which also stars Abishek Ambareesh. The film is set in the 1990s against the backdrop of the Cauvery riots in Karnataka with cinematographer-turned-director S. Krishna of Gajakesari and Pailwaan fame at the helm. Sapthami Gowda is expected to join the Kaali sets in February and speaking about her role in the film, she says she will be seen playing an enterprising character that is quite different to what she has done so far. "The idea is to not be repetitive or monotonous on the screen," she says, describing her simple approach to the craft.