Rishab Shetty tells the real reason for not dubbing Kantara in other languages

Published by
Nivedita P Nair

Rishab Shetty has begun making every effort to promote his movie, Kantara, which will be released in theatres on September 30. Rishab plays the lead in the Hombale Films production, which also stars Sapthami Gowda, Kishore, and Achyuth Kumar. It was censored U/A with no cuts or mutes.

The movie’s man-on-man brawl, involving Rishab and Kishore’s characters, is depicted in the trailer. It takes place in the fictional forest of Kantara and features customs practiced by particular communities. Rishab revealed why his movie, unlike most others these days, was not published as a pan-Indian movie with variants for each state during an Instagram live to promote the movie.

“Kantara is a 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

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.