Kantara actor-director Rishab Shetty opens up on Western influence in Bollywood, says, ‘We need to see what their values and...’

New Delhi: Kantara has been a success story like no other. Based on regional Kannada folklore, Rishab Shetty’s film is a visual treat for the audience. The film has shown tremendous growth at not just the Kannada box office but also in the Hindi market. In just its Hindi version, the film has crossed Rs 50 crore Nett. Overall, it has collected more than Rs 300 crores at the box office. 

While talking to Hindustan Times, director and lead actor Rishab Shetty opened up on how there is too much western influence in India which has led filmmakers to follow what Hollywood is doing. “We make the film for the audience, not for ourselves. We need to keep them and their sentiments in mind. We need to see what their values and way of life are. We were there before we were filmmakers. But now, too much western influence and consumption of Hollywood and other content has led to filmmakers trying to do the same in India. But why are you trying that? People are already getting that in Hollywood, and they are doing it better in terms of quality, storytelling and performances,” he said. 

He further talked about all kinds of western content is available on OTT, but something like Kantara which is purely a regional story cannot be seen anywhere else. “Now, on OTT, you are getting it (western content) on lots of platforms in lots of languages. But what you don’t get over there is my village’s story. That rooted, regional story is something you don’t get anywhere in the world. You are a storyteller and your region has stories. That is what you need to bring to the people,” the actor-director added.

Kantara was released in the Kannada version and Hindi version on 30th September and 14th October respectively. The film is written and directed by Rishab Shetty. Produced by Vijay Kiragandur and Chaluve Gowda, under Hombale Films, the film features Rishab Shetty, Sapthami Gowda, and Kishore Kumar G in pivotal roles.