If I'm excited by the story, I go for it, says Divya Khosla Kumar

Highlights:

• Shetty moves from regional hit to franchise builder with Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1
• The original Kantara put his name on the map; the new film widens the canvas
• He writes, directs and acts- the rare triple threat Indian cinema once celebrated
• The work is rooted in folklore and ritual, not spectacle, and that still lands with audiences
• It’s a practical, working model of old-school creative vision today

Rishab Shetty’s path feels oddly familiar. Indian cinema once had figures who wrote, directed and starred in their own films, names such as Guru Dutt and Raj Kapoor. It looks like Shetty does the same work now. After the success of Kantara, he returned with the newly released Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1, again as actor, writer and director. The result is less a throwback and more a clear line of continuity: cinema made by one person who will not cede the story.

Rishab Shetty channels the spirit of Raj Kapoor and Guru Dutt in Kantara Chapter 1 Rishab Shetty channels the spirit of Raj Kapoor and Guru Dutt in Kantara Chapter 1