Rishab Shetty is on a roll, seemingly single-handedly taking Kannada cinema to greater heights with his Kantara franchise.

The latest instalment in the series, titled Kantara: Chapter 1—a prequel—features not only Rishab Shetty but also boasts a stellar cast including Rukmini Vasanth and Jayaram. Since its release on October 2, the film has been a literal box office juggernaut, smashing multiple records.

However, the actor-director—currently basking in cinematic glory—is now in the spotlight for a different reason: his comments on a tragic incident that unfolded outside the world of cinema.

At a political event in Karur, Tamil Nadu, a stampede during a TVK rally led by actor-turned-politician Vijay, popularly known as Thalapathy, claimed 41 lives and left nearly 60 injured. The horrific incident has sparked national conversation.

Speaking to NDTV, Rishab Shetty was asked about the tragedy and the wider phenomenon of fan frenzy in South India. He responded:

“Hero worship ensues when we tend to like a hero or his character. How can I comment on the stampede? It’s unfortunate that these accidents happen,” he said.

The interviewer also referenced the culture of temples dedicated to icons like M.G. Ramachandran, life-size cut-outs of Rajinikanth, and ‘palabhishekams’—the ritual of pouring milk over a hero’s cut-out, especially on movie release days. Notably, such intense adulation has often led to accidents.

A recent example includes the stampede at a Hyderabad theatre during the release of Pushpa 2, where a woman lost her life and her child was critically injured. Actor Allu Arjun was taken in for questioning as part of the investigation.

Commenting further on the Karur incident, Rishab added:

“It’s not one person’s mistake, I think. Rather, it was a collective mistake made by many. Maybe it could have been controlled. That’s why we call it an accident.”

Reflecting more deeply, he said:

“Who can control a mob? It is rather easy to blame the police or government, but at times they also have trouble controlling the crowd.”

According to the Tamil Nadu Police, nearly 30,000 people had gathered at a venue with a capacity for only 10,000. Security guidelines were rampantly violated, and there were no proper arrangements for food or drinking water—factors that significantly worsened the situation.

Actor-turned-politician Vijay – the TVK chief has apparantely spoken to the breaved family members and assured them to vist Karur soon.

Cancelling his statewide tour following the incident, Vijay has also announced a compensation of ₹20 lakh for each victim's family and ₹2 lakh for the injured. The Karur tragedy will go down as one of the darkest episodes in Tamil Nadu politics, marred by blind hero worship and emotional outbursts. (With inputs from Agencies)