Rishab Shetty reveals how Hombale Films shaped Kantara: Chapter 1: “They were involved in every step”
With Kantara: Chapter 1 gearing up for its grand release on October 2, anticipation around the prequel is at an all-time high. Actor-director Rishab Shetty has now opened up about the creative journey behind the film, highlighting how producer Hombale Films played an active role throughout the process.
In a recent conversation, Rishab Shetty explained why he wanted the production house to be closely involved. “I wanted Hombale to be completely involved in the production process of the film and they stood beside me for the entire making of the film! I did over 15 story narrations with them and they were present for all meetings. They were instrumental in figuring out what all is required for the story and helped me achieve my vision,” he said.
Stressing on the importance of producer involvement in filmmaking, he added, “Agar sirf profit aur paisa hi sochte, toh yeh possible hi nahi hota. Yeh bahut hi rare hai. Story ko kya chahiye? Normally producers story sunte hi nahi. Ek baar Kantara hit ho gayi, toh bolte theek hai, ab karlo aur chhod do. Lekin mujhe woh nahi chahiye tha. Mujhe chahiye tha ki woh process mein involved ho (If they had only thought about profit and money, this would not have been possible. It’s very rare. Normally, producers don’t even listen to the story. Once Kantara was a hit, they could have just said ‘go ahead and do it,’ but I didn’t want that. I wanted them to be involved in the process)”.
He went on to share how he regularly invited the entire team for story narrations. “Poora production team, production house ko maine itni baar bulaya, 15 baar lagbhag, sabko bithaya—mera DOP, designer, Pragathi, art, production team, sabko. 14-15 baar maine poori story narrate ki. Toh jo inputs aate the, unko dekh kar hum improvise karte the. Aur sabko idea hona chahiye ki woh kya kar rahe hain. Us process mein production ne bahut support diya. Aur meri taraf se main sirf yeh kehna chahta hoon thank you Hombale (I called the entire production team nearly 15 times, including my DOP, designer, art, and production team. I narrated the story 14–15 times. We improvised based on the inputs we received, and I felt everyone should know what they are creating. In this process, production supported me a lot, and from my side, I just want to say thank you Hombale)”.
Backed by Hombale Films, Kantara: Chapter 1 is set on a massive canvas. The film includes an epic war sequence involving over 500 fighters and 3,000 people, shot across 25 acres of rugged terrain over 45–50 days. With music by B. Ajaneesh Loknath, cinematography by Arvind Kashyap, and production design by Vinesh Banglan, the prequel promises to deepen the lore while delivering a cinematic spectacle. Releasing in seven languages — Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Bengali, and English — the film aims to take Indian folklore-driven storytelling to global audiences.
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