Actor-director Rishab Shetty started writing the script for the highly-anticipated Kantara prequel on Kannada new year Ugadi, celebrated on March 22, the makers of the film franchise have announced.
“ಬರವಣಿಗೆಯ ಆದಿ… On this auspicious occasion of Ugadi & New Year, we are delighted to announce that the writing for the second part of #Kantara has begun. We can't wait to bring you another captivating story that showcases our relationship with nature. Stay tuned for more updates,” a tweet from the official Twitter handle of Hombale Films read.
Writer-director Rishab Shetty confirmed that the second film will be a prequel at the film’s screening at the Pathe Balexert theatre Geneva on March 17.
The 39-year-old Kantara star also took to Twitter to announce the news on the auspicious occasion of Ugadi. The filmmaker-actor wrote, “ನಾಡಿನ ಸಮಸ್ತ ಜನತೆಗೆ ಯುಗಾದಿ ಹಬ್ಬದ ಶುಭಾಷಯಗಳು. Happy Ugadi ! ಬರವಣಿಗೆಯ ಆದಿ…Kantara writing begins !”
Kantara follows a tribal youth Shiva (Rishab), a Kambala athlete who is a descendant of a Bhoota Kola performer of the forest region. When greed paves the way for betrayal, scheming and murder, Shiva reluctantly adopts the traditions of his ancestors to seek justice for his people.
The action thriller, which hit the theatres in September 2022, broke several box office records and became one of the highest-grossing films of the year. Kantara was initially released only in Kannada but was later dubbed into all major Indian languages and a few foreign languages as well.
The story of Kantara is rooted in the culture of north Karnataka and its indigenous people. The film has become a case study for Indian films due to its far-reaching success.
Made on a modest budget of Rs 16 crore, Kantara went on to gross over Rs 450 crore worldwide.
Apart from Rishab, Kantara also featured Sapthami Gowda, Kishore, Achyuth Kumar, Pramod Shetty, Prakash Tuminad, Naveen D Padil, and others in pivotal roles. It was bankrolled by Vijay Kiragandur under the banner Hombale Films.
