While ‘KGF: Chapter 1 and 2’ made Kannada cinema a formidable player in the national film market, ‘Kantara’ brought a lot of honour to the industry, which had been struggling to make a mark for years. With ‘Kantara’, Sandalwood has proved its quality and what it can produce given a chance.
The accolades continue to come the film’s way as Rishab Shetty won the Special Jury Award, also known as the Silver Peacock Award, at the International Film Festival of India 2023. This is the first time a Kannada film has won the award.
‘Hombale Films’, the production house of the film, took to social media to celebrate the honour. “Delighted to announce that ‘Kantara’ has written a new chapter in Kannada cinema history, winning the inaugural Silver Peacock Award at IFFI Goa,” read the post.
During an interaction at IFFI 2023, Rishab Shetty said, “The audience connected with ‘Kantara’ because it is a story rooted in the culture of Bharat. The audience took the film to where it is today, truly making it their own.”
The actor-director said it’s time to give it back to Kannada cinema which has given people a lot. “At present, there is a revolution underway-good content is widely accepted overcoming the language barriers,” Rishab said.