Vivek Oberoi cheers for Kantara Chapter 1 as it qualifies for Best Picture Oscar: ‘Bhuta Kola has transcended borders’

Rishab Shetty's Kantara Chapter 1 is one of the four films that have been listed by The Academy. The film was a huge success at the box office.

The Academy announced the list of 317 feature films which are eligible for consideration at the 98th Academy Awards. According to a press release, this includes 201 titles that qualify for the Best Picture category. The four Indian films featured in the list are Rishab Shetty's Kantara: Chapter 1, Anupam Kher's Tanvi The Great, M. Sasikumar's Tourist Family, and the animated epic Mahavatar Narasimha.

'Roar of our ancestors echoing on the world's most prestigious stage'

Vivek Oberoi congratulated Rishab Shetty on the success of Kantara Chapter 1.

Vivek Oberoi has now congratulated the team of Kantara Chapter 1 on this momentous occasion. The actor took to his X account and wrote, “What was once a sacred ritual, guarded by the ancient spirits of Tulunad, has now erupted into a global inferno. Bhuta Kola has transcended borders, shattering the silence to become a worldwide phenomenon.”

Kantara Chapter 1 is the second highest-grossing Indian film of 2025, having beaten Chhaava’s ₹807 crore. It collected ₹813 crore worldwide in its first 25 days of release.

It is a prequel to Rishab’s 2022 hit Kantara, which introduced the world to the Tulu tradition of Daiva Kola/Bhuta Kola. Set in pre-colonial India, the film tells the story of a tribal man named Berme (Rishab) who fights against the aristocracy in their region for the dignity of his people. Rukmini Vasanth, Gulshan Devaiah and Jayaram also played the lead roles in it. Hombale Films produced it.