‘I remember his face’: Rishab Shetty recalls deaths during Kantara Chapter 1 shoot, says it cannot be linked to film

Kannada filmmaker and actor Rishab Shetty is once again in the spotlight following the release of his highly anticipated film Kantara: Chapter 1 on Thursday. The original Kantara movie was widely praised for its storytelling, performances, and technical brilliance, with Kantara Chapter 1 now earning rave reviews as well.

The film had been in production for several years and garnered attention for its scale and technical brilliance. However, the shoot of the second installment was marred by the tragic deaths of three artists, sparking controversy. Shetty has now addressed the incidents, offering clarification regarding the circumstances.

Speaking to The Indian Express’s SCREEN, Shetty said, “Definitely it’s a huge loss, but we cannot connect it to the film. It’s about human life, out of the three people we lost, two were junior artists, one of them had not even reached our set, he was on the way when he had some health issues, and later we got to know he had a heart attack. We sent the manager there to take him to the hospital and get the post-mortem and other formalities sorted.”

Also read: 'Kantara Chapter 1' X review

Kantara actor also remembered the late Rakesh Poojary, describing him as a committed and positive co-star whose loss affected the team deeply. Poojary had passed away from a heart attack 15–20 days after completing his shoot for Kantara: Chapter 1 while attending a friend’s wedding.

Shetty also opened up about the death of an artist from Kerala, saying, “There was another man from Kerala, I remember his face, it was a night shoot, and his accident didn’t happen on our set. We were rehearsing in another town, there was a temple, and a river was close by. There was a board that said it was an accident-prone area, but youngsters want to explore; he went there, and the accident happened. He had shot with me multiple times.”

Kantara: Chapter 1 was released on October 2. The film was shot at live locations over 250 days, and Shetty spent five years bringing both projects to life. The trailer for Kantara: Chapter 1, unveiled earlier this month, focuses on a child trying to understand the mystery behind his father’s disappearance and introduces the story’s legend. Written and directed by Shetty, Kantara: Chapter 1 will release in Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Bengali, and English.