Kannada film Kantara became a sleeper hit upon its theatrical release in September 2022. Initially released only in Karnataka, the film gained momentum through strong word-of-mouth and was later dubbed into multiple languages. It went on to gross an impressive Rs 408 crore at the global box office, and also earned Rishab Shetty his first ever National Award for Best Actor. However, the film also faced significant backlash for its portrayal of women and how they were treated in the film, especially by the protagonist. Three years later, Rishab has changed his stance and said that the lead character was supposed to be a villain, and not a hero.
A small part of the audience voiced concerns over Shiva’s (Rishab Shetty) behaviour where he mistreated his romantic interest, Leela (Sapthami Gowda). His character was seen stalking and touching her inappropriately – and it was all shown under the guise of love.In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Rishab said, “That film is about Shiva. Not anybody else. Shiva is not a hero—he is a villain. His character is flawed. His behaviour is questionable, his language is crass, and he has all the bad habits. He didn’t live up to societal expectations, especially those tied to his father’s legacy as a revered daiva nartaka. The story is about his transformation.”
Addressing the criticism over the limited screen time and space given to female characters, he said, “Everyone else in the film is a secondary character. But even then, Shiva’s mother had a strong presence. She was a terror in his life. I don’t understand why people found that absurd. I have given importance to every character, but it’s Shiva’s aura that overshadowed them—and that was intentional.”
Despite defending his creative choices, Shetty said he welcomes all feedback. “I learn a lot from these opinions. They often give me ideas,” he admitted. When asked whether he plans to address the criticism in his upcoming film, Shetty explained that it wouldn’t be applicable, “It’s a different setup altogether. It’s stronger and deeper than Kantara. Maybe we can revisit some of those elements if we make a sequel with that character.”
Kantara: Chapter 1, a prequel to the 2022 film, is all set to hit the big screen on October 2. It will have a box office clash with Varun Dhawan and Janhvi Kapoor’s Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari.
