Kantara Chapter 1 makers reject rumours of delay, re-confirm October release date

Kantara: Chapter 1 is billed as the prequel to the 2022 film, written and directed by Rishab Shetty, which became a pan-Indian success and won multiple National awards

By: Entertainment Desk

Chennai | April 3, 2025 03:21 PM IST

3 min read

Makers of Rishab Shetty's Kantara Chapter 1 confirm October release

Despite the back-to-back success of KGF: Chapter 2 and Kantara, Kannada cinema has been in a lull with respect to pan-Indian attention. Almost none of the films released after these two projects have been able to break out of Karnataka. Kannada cinema is undoubtedly pinning all its hopes on Kantara: Chapter 1, Rishab Shetty’s follow-up to the National award-winning Kantara. However, there were reports that the film might not make it to the big screen on the already announced date of October 2. With the speculations getting louder, the makers put out a rather cheeky video to address the same.

The video plays out like a chat between the makers and a fan, who questions them about the speculated delay. “Bro, is Kantara: Chapter 1 postponing its release date?” is the question, and the response comes through a series of slides featuring the word ‘NO’ in a flurry of languages, including Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and English. The video is captioned, “NO doubts. NO delays :) The legendary saga, Kantara Chapter 1 unfolds on October 2.”

The film, which became one of Kannada cinema’s highest grossers after the KGF franchise, won immense acclaim for its rustic story and its exploration of the geography of the state of Karnataka. The shooting of the prequel is going on in full swing, with a war sequence being shot with over 500 fighters. This sequence, featuring over 3000 people, is expected to be the highlight of Kantara: Chapter 1.

Kantara: Chapter 1 is billed to be the prequel to the 2022 film that came out of nowhere and became a pan-Indian success. Considering the prequel will revolve around a period setting, Rishab has left no stone unturned to add a lot of authenticity to with not just the production design but the stunts as well. With the actor-filmmaker also undergoing horse riding, and kalari training, the war sequence is said to have been shot for almost 50 days in Karnataka’s mountain ranges.

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The prequel will revolve around the kingdom of the Kadambas of Banavasi, and is expected to trace the story of the father (Rishab Shetty), who disappears into thin air after a broken promise threatens to change the fabric of the village. Backed by Hombale Films, who also produced the original, Kantara: Chapter 1 also stars Jayaram, Kishore, and will have music by Ajaneesh Loknath and cinematography by Arvind S Kashyap.

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