In this contemporary world of concrete jungles, where each of us are fighting for our survival and trying to climb the corporate ladder, do we stop to think if we are still connected to our roots? Rishab Shetty in Kantara somehow bridges that gap between commercial cinema and hankering for our cultural ethos, subsequently triumphing at ticket windows.
Kantara has made waves in world cinema. The Rishab Shetty directorial has not only trumped contemporary releases but has become the highest rated film on IMDB, topping big hits like KGF Chapter 2, Brahmastra, Vikrant Rona and Pushpa: The Rise. But, understanding Kantara is not that easy. Steeped in folklore, the film, playing out in three different timelines, tracing the story of a local demigod (Bhoota) who trades a forest land to the tribe’s people with a king in 1870 in exchange of happiness and prosperity. Years later when one of his descendants grow greedy and wants the land back, disaster befalls.
The story – magic realist – in many ways, blurs the line between what is real and ephemeral, with writer, director and lead actor Rishab Shetty right in the middle. As Shiva, a Kambala champion and reluctant Kaadubettu tasked with invoking the Bhoota during Buta Kola festival, the actor excels, evoking emotions of rage, amazement, wonder and fear. And now, in an exclusive interaction , has opened up about taking on the garb of the local demigod in the film.
“When I started shooting for Kantara, I did not think so much. But, by the time we were nearing the end of the shoot, playing the character became extremely difficult,” says Rishab, adding, “I received a lot of injuries while doing the action scenes, but I could not stop until I had finished the film.
There are parts in the film when the lead character is seen in full Buta Kola festival garb, an animist form of worship, dancing to evoke the divinity and Rishab says that since he did the Kola for both his father’s character and his own, it was doubly difficult. However, the actor maintained certain decorum while he shot the scenes. “We shot for the scene for 4- 5 nights and I survived just by drinking coconut water. We respect these traditions of ours and I felt I should honour them while performing the act. It was almost like a vrat for me.”
So what was it like performing the divine dance? Did it blur the lines between what is real and the transcendent state of being? Rishab quickly says, “Woh ek experience hai. Mera experience. (It is an experience, my experience). I do not want to share it. It will remain inside me as a spiritual journey. It felt like there was a beautiful energy inside me.”
The actor goes on to reveal that he wrote the character thinking he wanted to play it, before signing off by stating that ever since he was a child, he wanted to act in films and this was the kind of character he wanted to portray onscreen.
