Rishab Shetty: Kantara is a film deeply rooted in our culture and that’s why it is releasing in Kannada only

With the final copy of Kantara ready to be rolled out, Rishab Shetty, has started going all out to promote his film that will in theatres on September 30. The film, produced by Hombale Films, stars Rishab in the lead, along with Sapthami Gowda, Kishore, Achyuth Kumar, among others, and was censored U/A with no cuts or mutes.

The film, according to the trailer, is about a man vs man tussle between Rishab and Kishore’s character, set in a fictional forest, Kantara, and includes traditions followed among certain communities. Speaking to a bunch of social media influencers on an Instagram live to promote the film, Rishab explained why his film, unlike most others these days, was not being released as a pan-Indian movie with versions in multiple languages.

“Kantara is film that is deeply rooted in our culture, our traditions, and so much more. Even the language spoken is in the dialect of a particular region of Mangaluru. When I conceived Kantara, I wanted it to embody our land and our values and present them onscreen for audiences. In fact, filmmakers from the different pockets of Karnataka or the country, for that matter, should also bring these kinds of stories to the screen. For instance, there are beautiful traditions followed in Mysuru, which, I believe, filmmakers from that region, who have grown up experiencing that, should tell the rest of the world. With films like Ulidavaru Kandanthe and Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana, among others, we have shown 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,” says Rishab. T

This is also why Rishab has not dubbed his film into any other language for a wider release. Yes, his film is getting a global release on September 30, but it is going everywhere in the original Kannada version with subtitles. “We may eventually dub it in other languages for OTT, but as of now, Kantara will be a Kannada-only release,” he signs off.