Director Sandeep Reddy Vanga on Friday heaped praise on Rishab Shetty’s Kantara: Chapter 1, calling the film a ‘true masterpiece’ and a ‘cinematic thunderstorm’.
“Kantara chapter 1 is a true masterpiece. Indian cinema has never seen anything like this before. It's a cinematic thunderstorm, raw, divine, and unshakable,” Vanga wrote on X.
Lauding Shetty’s performance in the film, the 43-year-old director added, “Rishab shetty delivers a true one-man show, crafted and carried single-handedly.”
Vanga went on to praise the film’s background music scored by B. Ajaneesh Loknath.
Shetty thanked Vanga for his compliment. Reflecting on the overwhelming response from audiences, Shetty wrote, “From struggling to get one evening show in 2016 to 5000+ houseful shows in 2025. This journey is nothing but your love, support, and God’s grace. Forever grateful to every single person who made this possible.”
Written and directed by Shetty, Kantara: Chapter 1 hit theatres on Thursday. Produced by Hombale Films, it is a prequel to the 2022 National Award-winning film Kantara, also written and fronted by Shetty.
Shetty reprises his role as the protagonist in Kantara: Chapter 1. Rukmini Vasanth, Gulshan Devaiah, and Jisshu Sengupta also play key roles in the film.
Kantara: Chapter 1 tells a fictional story inspired by the traditions and conflicts surrounding human-forest relationships in coastal Karnataka, specifically focusing on the practice of Bhoota Kola.
The action drama features Shetty as a fierce warrior who strives to save the inhabitants of a forested land from a ruthless and tyrannical ruler (played by Gulshan Devaiah). According to a legend, the villagers believe that a divine messenger will arrive every time evil threatens to take over humanity. Shetty's character takes charge as the saviour of the helpless subjects being butchered by their king.
Shetty won the National Film Award for Best Actor last year for his performance in Kantara.
Apart from Vanga, filmmaker G. Dhananjeyan, director Upendra Rao, actor Yash and director Prem heaped praise on Kantara: Chapter 1.
The film has so far earned Rs 80.56 crore nett in India, according to industry data-tracking platform Sacnilk.