Actor and director Rishab Shetty is working on expanding the Kantara universe. However, the sequel won’t be dealing with the aftermath of Shiva’s disappearance at the end of the first part, but will instead deal with past events. Hombale Films’ Vijay Kiragandur confirmed in an interview with Deadline that Rishab Shetty is writing the script for the prequel Kantara 2.
“Rishab is now writing the story and went to the forests of coastal Karnataka for two months with his writing partner to conduct research for the film,” said Vijay Kiragandur. He further revealed that the film will be released in June as Rishab wanted to shoot during the monsoon. Kantara 2 will be a pan-India film. The first film was a critical success and grossed over Rs 400 crore.
Unlike the first film with a limited budget, Vijay revealed that he will spare no effort in making an ambitious sequel. Hombale Films plans to spend over Rs 3,000 crore over the next five years. Vijay said: “Kantara has been so successful that what we do next has to be big because people’s expectations are high. We will add some names to the cast, but we want to keep the original, in terms of style and content. It’s similar to the first film.”
With a core budget of Rs 16, Kantara has since earned over Rs 400 crore from all over the world. The film deals with land expropriation in a tribal village that has resonated nationally. The film is directed by Rishab Shetty and stars Kishore, Achyuth Kumar, Promad Shetty and Sapthami Gowda in key roles.