Kantara, Chapter 1, press meet: A Legend at Land’s End

Kantara, Chapter 1, press meet: A Legend at Land’s End

A young man worked in Andheri West, Mumbai as an office boy, and, later, as a driver, in 2008. More recently, he started making films, in his home state, Karnataka. He spent 250 days of the last 3 years shooting a film, which is a prequel to a blockbuster he made, released in 2022. A writer, director and actor, he camped in a place called Kundapur, near Mangalore, Karnataka, with his wife, the costume designer, and their 10-month old child. The film was shot on location, in Kundapur, sometimes spelt Kundapura, where Rishab had begun his theatre acting journey, doing ‘yakshagana’ plays. The entire unit of the film followed suit, everybody bringing along their families. By the time the shooting got over, his son had started going to school. The 2022 film was called Kantara, and the successor, a prequel, goes by the moniker, Kantara, A Legend. On 29th September, he came down to Mumbai, with key members of his unit, for a press meet, and hosted a cocktails and dinner, at a hotel named Taj Land’s End. This is the success story of Prsashanth Shetty, who uses the screen name of Rishab Shetty.

Although it was a press meet, the unit did not actually meet the press. The compère posed questions, and the galaxy on the stage gave answers. Some of the responses were very short, like those of the heroine, Rukmini Vasanth, or ad infinitum, like those of the man of the moment, Rishab Shetty. Shetty sported a beard, a large bun of hair at the back of his neck and wore spectacles. Also present on stage were producer Chaluve Gowda, Rishab’s wife, Pragathi, and, surprise…surprise, the Hindi version distributor, reclusive Anil Thadani. Kantara, A Legend, is Chapter 1 of the franchise, pre-dating the events captured in Kantara 2022, by several hundred years. Confessed Rishab, “Kantara was set in the 16th and 17th century. But I felt there was more to say about the same theme, and, instead of going forward, I turned backwards. In the process, I went much farther than I had initially planned to go.” Another surprise was the use of Hindustani by Shetty and Rukmini while answering questions. Rukmini, in particular, even pronounced Urdu words perfectly. Obviously, she had done her homework, which must have included Urdu tuition. 28 year-old Rukmini obtained an acting degree from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in Bloomsbury, London and made her acting debut in 2019.

Everybody said how wonderful it was, making the film and working in the film. Pragathi revealed that Rishab eats, drinks and breathes cinema. “He promised me some quality time together, after Kantara was released, but that never happened, because almost immediately afterwards, he plunged into the prequel. He has promised that he will now make-up for the lost time now.” Rishab said that he should not be perceived only as a maker of mythological action spectaculars. “A film I made in 2018 dealt with the language teaching conflict in schools located in the border area between Karnataka and Kerala, a battle between Kannada and Malayalam.” Though he did not mention the name of the film, it was titled Sarkaari Hiriya Praathamika Shaale, Kaasaragodu, Kodugé: Raamanna Rai. Being such a mouthful, no wonder Rishab refrained from naming it. Translated into English, the tile reads Government Higher Primary School, Kasaragodu, Donated by: Raamanna Rai. This was his third film as director. The fourth was to make box-office history, and was titled Kantara. “It was the time of Covid. In barely two minutes, I narrated the plot to producer Vijay Kiragandur, of Hombale Films, and he was on board.” Hombale had earlier produced the two-part, steep cost, cult blockbuster films, KGF, Chapters I and 2. Kantara was released in the same year as KGF Chapter 2, 2022, and both films raked-in tons of moolah. Hombale hopes that Kantara A Legend will prove to be a more than worthwhile investment.

On the occasion, several videos were screened. One was a corporate profile of Hombale Films. Then there was the trailer of Kantara, A Legend. Making history, the trailer garnered over 107 million views and 3.4 million likes in just 24 hours. It has also become the most shared trailer in a single day. We were also shown a video shot at the winding up of the film’s shooting, and one song. Some of these were shown more than once. Seated near a speaker, for want of a vacant better vantage point, the full blast sound took its toll on my ears. From the trailer, it was clear that Chapter 1 will be as gruesome, as full of blood and gore, perpetrating the same mayhem, if not more, that was characteristic of the first part. Bodies flying in the air, a ferocious lion (are lions anything but ferocious?) approaching the camera, more bodies dangling with spears that went through their backs and came out of their chests, the heroine inspecting a large sword, villains with only their red eyes visible, and more.

Rishab refused to elaborate on the role of the lion (A real lion? Or one generated by VFX/AI), saying that it was not merely a lion, but a character. Likewise, Rukmini refrained from telling the audience about her ‘sword moment’, leaving it for the audience to see it in the film. The compère asked Rishab about the climax, wanting him to reveal whether it would be as rivetting as the climax of Kantara. A pointless question, because no director will reveal the climax of his film. Rishab had this to say, “I can assure you that the last 20 minutes will be a befitting climax.” The film features a powerhouse team of five stunt choreographers, including Hollywood’s Todor Lazarov and acclaimed Indian talents Ram-Lakshman, Mahesh Mathew and Mithun Singh Rajput. Representing Karnataka, action director Arjun Raj has been instrumental in designing the film’s high-octane interval and climax sequences. In a recent interview, Arjun Raj spoke about one of his favorite action sequences and highlighted Rishab Shetty’s unwavering dedication to bringing it to life. "The interval and climax sequences are my favourites. The interval fight, in particular, was the first big sequence I choreographed with Rishab sir. His acting, combined with the action, makes it unforgettable. I believe this sequence cannot be recreated by anyone else. It's that unique. I'm confident that not only India but the entire world will appreciate it once they watch the film."

“We have a treasure of folklore and mythology, and it has passed from generation to generation, as oral history,” elaborated Rishab. “What triggered my imagination was a well I saw that had a history. Kantara A Legend is narrated in the oral history style, from parents and grandparents, to little children. Both the films blend regional folklore, spirituality, and action, continuing the saga of man's relationship with nature and the divine.” In the film, Rishab plays the role of a Naga Sadhu, with superhuman powers. Get set to watch fierce battles between kings, mass murders, decapitation and fountains of blood. The makers have curated an extensive war sequence for Kantara: Chapter 1, with national and international specialists, involving over 500 skilled fighters and featuring 3,000 people. This sequence was filmed in an entire town, spanning 25 acres of rugged terrain, over a period of 45–50 days, making it one of the biggest sequences in the history of Indian cinema. The film will be available in Spanish, English, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Bengali, in dubbed versions, besides the original language, Kannada.

hetty added, “Watch out for a wonderful performance by Gulshan Devaiah (as Kulashekara). Though he has acted in several Hindustani films, he is from Karnataka, and Kannada is his mother tongue.” Mumbai has a special place in Rishab’s heart, and he is sure that the Hindi version will be extremely well distributed and marketed by Anil Thadani, of ‘a a’ films. Thadani himself confined his brief address with thanks to Hombale Films and assured them that their relationship will produce the desired results.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/M2OnifMgvps