Rishab Shetty’s Kantara: Chapter 1 earned Rs 60 crore nett in India across all languages on its opening day, beating 2025 hits Saiyaara and Chhaava, according to trade reports.
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.
The film also came close to beating the first-day figures of Rajinikanth’s Coolie, finding a place among the top openers of the Indian film industry this year. Coolie earned Rs 65 crore on Day 1.
The Hindi dubbed version of the film raked in approximately Rs 20 crore, adding to the impressive collection.
Shetty reprises his role as the protagonist in Kantara: Chapter 1. Rukmini Vasanth and Jisshu Sengupta also play key roles in the film. The prequel is written and directed by Shetty. B Ajaneesh Loknath has scored the music for Kantara: Chapter 1.
The film 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.
Compared to the Kantara prequel, Mohit Suri’s hit film Saiyaara opened to a collection of Rs 22 crore and Chhaava amassed Rs 31 crore on Day 1. Hrithik Roshan-starrer War 2, which hit theatres on August 14, raked in Rs 52.50 crore.