'We All Belong to the Same Roots'

Filmmaker Rishab Shetty speaks to Shama Bhagat about the grand prequel, Kantara Chapter 1, and what it's like to wear many creative hats

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Even before the audience could overcome the stupendous success of Kantara, director Rishab Shetty has come up with a prequel to his film, Kantara Chapter 1. The film that explores the origins of the sacred forest and its protectors, blending folklore, faith, and action, has become a box-office hit. In this conversation, Shetty reflects on the process of ideating the film, the tragedies during shooting, and how we all come from the same roots.

What prompted you to shoot a prequel after your last film, Kantara?

We had planned to go into the past for the film, but didn’t realise that we would be so deep into it. After doing the first film, I saw possibilities of extending the story, and we started working on ideas; the team came up with new ideas, and we saw the potential of making a prequel. This film is set in precolonial Karnataka, during the reign of the Kadambas. The story continues from the first part and focuses on the conflict between the tribals of the Kantara forest and a tyrannical king. In the first part, I have shown the backstory of the boy; hence, we decided to go into history to find more about his life. The prequel is more about our ancestors.

What were the challenges while making a film on this scale? We heard that you trained for the war sequences?