Rishabh Shetty Credits Yakshagana for Shaping Kantara’s Cultural Universe At IFFI 2025

Kantara Chapter 1 has continued its soaring triumph, strengthening Rishabh Shetty’s position as one of Pan India’s biggest actor writer director superstar. With the monumental success of Kantara and the unprecedented cultural impact of Kantara Chapter 1, Shetty has emerged as a storyteller who bridges India’s ancient heritage with contemporary cinema. The film’s worldwide earnings crossing ₹850 crore stand as a testament to the power of rooted narratives and the audience’s deep emotional connection with his vision. At IFFI 2025, Shetty shed light on the inspiration behind his cinematic universe, revealing how his artistic foundation was shaped long before his filmmaking journey began.

Speaking after a special Yakshagana performance, Rishabh Shetty emotionally traced his beginnings to this centuries-old art form. He shared, “My acting career started when I was in 6th standard, and it began with Yakshagana. So we people, especially those from the South, we know Ramayana and Mahabharata only because of Yakshagana. In Yakshagana, all our country’s… India’s ancient stories, sacred stories and mythology, all these stories are presented through Yakshagana for many years, like 500 years, and even today the artists perform the whole night. So their contribution to this art form is very very big and they are the true artists. And that is why, after I became a filmmaker, the thought of bringing such rooted stories into my films came only because of Yakshagana. And our South culture, our traditions… I wanted to tell the rooted stories of India. So I made a small effort.”

Through Kantara and Kantara Chapter 1, Rishabh Shetty has firmly positioned himself as India’s cultural brand ambassador. His commitment to bringing India’s deepest traditions, mythologies, and spiritual legacies to the world stage continues to define his cinematic language. With every story, he preserves and celebrates the cultural pulse of Bharat, ensuring that India’s rooted narratives reach global audiences with pride and authenticity.