Indian cricketer KL Rahul paid tribute to Rishab Shetty’s action thriller film Kantara by recreating one of its iconic scenes to celebrate victory at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium after defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore in an IPL match on Thursday.
After securing a win against RCB, KL Rahul, who is a player for Delhi Capitals, used his cricket bat to draw a circle on the pitch as a custom, reminiscent of the popular scene shown in the National Award-winning film. In the original scene, Rishab performed the ritual by using a wooden stick.
Delhi Capitals shared a video on X, which features KL Rahul talking about the homage he paid to the Kannada film, which was released in 2022, after winning the match.
“This is a special place for me. That celebration was from one of my favourite movies, Kantara. So ya just a tiny reminder that this ground, this home, this turf is where I have grown and this is mine,” Rahul said.
Also starring Sapthami Gowda, Kishore, Manasi Sudhir, Achyuth Kumar and Swaraj Shetty, Kantara follows the story of a minor king, who faced the consequences for his insatiable desires, that triggered the wrath of a chosen tribal leader.
Earlier this year, Rishab Shetty announced the release of Kantara A Legend Chapter-1, a prequel to the 2022 film, set to release on October 2.
Rishab also dropped the first-look teaser of the film last year. The video begins with Rishab standing in a dense forest with a torch in his hand. A ring of fire encircles him as a voiceover declares, “Everything is visible in light. But, this isn’t light. This is a vision which would reveal the past, the present and the future.”
The teaser further reveals that the upcoming prequel is set in Karnataka during the reign of the Kadamba dynasty, which ruled parts of southwestern India between the 4th and 6th centuries.
The upcoming film also stars Tollywood actor Jisshu Sengupta in a key role. B Ajaneesh Loknath has scored the music for the film.
The prequel is written and directed by Rishab, who bagged the National Award for Best Actor last year for his role in the 2022 blockbuster.
Kantara, which was made on a reported budget of Rs 16 crore, went on to earn over Rs 400 crore across the globe.