Kantara Chapter 1 producer says daivas warned of 'obstacles' during shoot of Rishab Shetty film, addresses 'curse' talk

Kantara Chapter 1 has been plagued by mishaps all through the shoot. Producer Chaluve Gowda talks to HT about the challenges the Rishab Shetty film faced.

In 2021, when Kantara arrived in theatres, it took the nation by storm. Made on a modest budget of ₹15 crore, the Kannada mythological thriller grossed over ₹400 crore, spawning a prequel, also starring and directed by Rishab Shetty. It's been close to two years since the prequel - Kantara Chapter 1- went on the floors, but it has seen frequent delays. This, coupled with a bunch of accidents faced by crew members, led to talks of a 'curse' on the production.

Hombale Films' co-founder Chaluve Gowda addresses the making of Rishab Shetty's Kantara Chapter 1.

On the challenges Kantara Chapter 1 faced

Speaking with Hindustan Times, the film's producer, Chaluve Gowda, rubbishes these claims and addresses the challenges the film has faced. “I want to clarify whatever misfortune thing happened, nothing happened on the set. It was just because the movie was so big, everything got connected,” he says. “Except for one fire incident, which is the only thing that happened on set, everything else was unconnected.”

In November 2024, a bus carrying crew members of the film met with an accident near Kollur in Karnataka, but everyone escaped unhurt. In January 2025, a fire broke out on the set while filming a large war sequence, but again, no one was seriously hurt. Four months later, a crew member of the film drowned during a break in the shoot. In June, Rishab and other cast members had a narrow escape after a boat capsized during a shoot. Again, there was no casualty, but cameras and other filming equipment are believed to have been lost to the water.

Talking about the frequent accidents, Gowda says, “We are all God-fearing people. Of course, every day we do puja and approach the daivas and take their blessings first, before we do anything.” He says that before the announcement of the film, the team had visited coastal Karnataka and sought guidance from the deities. “Before the announcement of the Kantara Chapter one, we met the Panjurli and sought the Daiva's opinion, Panch. Their answer was, ‘You do this; there will be a few obstacles, but it will be successful.’”

Shot on location

Gowda says a lot of the obstacles have been because of the unfriendly terrain of coastal Karnataka, where the film was shot on location. “It was all interior forests. The crew used to get up at four o'clock, get ready by 4:30 and travel to reach the spot for a six o'clock schedule. 80% of the movie was shot at real locations. All were away from the cities, which is so difficult. And then, there was unexpected weather. Some of the action sequences we shot in the rain, because we did not want to waste time,” he tells us

The filmmaker says he and the team would get frustrated by the delays, but teases that the final product has been worth the wait. “We can't blame anyone. Sometimes we used to be frustrated as to why it's taken so long. But when we see the output. That is so good, we are assured that we are not wasting time.”

The shoot for Kantara Chapter 1 concluded in July 2025. The film is currently in post-production and is scheduled for a theatrical release on October 2. Apart from Rishab, it also stars Jayaram, Rakesh Poojari, and Rukmini Vasanth.