The Film ‘Kantara Chapter 1’ that Takes the Story of Kannada Soil to the World

Currently, the Kannada film creating a global buzz with its trailer is Kantara – 1. On the day of the trailer launch, a pre-release event was held at a private hotel in Bengaluru. On this occasion, the film’s director and lead actor Rishab Shetty said:

“Kantara can be called a five-year-long journey, like a five-year project. It has reached the stage of release after overcoming many struggles. I don’t even know how many vows my wife Pragathi has offered to God during this phase. This is an emotional journey as well. The entire team has stood strongly by my side in this effort. This is a huge team. From the Forest Minister to the village people, everyone has supported us. Producer Vijay Kiragandur gave us whatever the team needed, without worrying about budget constraints. For the past three months, our team hasn’t slept properly — that’s how much they’ve been working. Four or five times, I almost reached death’s door, but I felt the divine power was with us. For this film, the producer has provided meals to nearly 4.5 lakh people. When we started Kantara, it was just a movie. Along the way, it has become an emotional journey. Our Kannadigas and the media have taken the film to such great heights. From a one-line story, the producer trusted me and has brought the project this far.”

Actress Rukmini Vasanth, who plays the queen in the film, said: “This is a film that is very close to my heart. At the beginning of my career, getting such an important role makes me very happy. Playing this role was a challenge, but the team’s support was immense. Because of that, it didn’t feel too difficult.”

Costume designer Pragathi Shetty shared: “For three years, we left our home and lived in Kundapura with our children to be part of this film. Hombale Films has stood with us like a family. Five years ago, after hearing a one-line story over the phone, Vijay Kiragandur agreed to produce this movie. Designing costumes for this film has been a joy. There is definitely a powerful force behind this movie.”

Producer Vijay Kiragandur, while answering questions from the media, said: “The film Kantara will release on October 2 across India in more than 7,000 screens. Additionally, it will release simultaneously in 30 countries. For the first time, a Kannada movie is also being dubbed into Spanish. In the coming days, we plan to hold press meets in other major Indian cities as well.”

On the stage, the Indian Postal Department released a special Indian Post Cover and Picture Post Card dedicated to the film. Writers Anirudh Mahesh and Shaneel Gowtham, executive producer Adarsh, stunt director Arjun, editor Suresh, and choreographer Bhushan, among others, also shared their experiences of working on Kantara Chapter 1.