'We make the film for the audience, not for ourselves': Kantara director speaks about Bollywood

Film maker Rishab Shetty is flying high with the success of his film 'Kantara'. Made on the shoestring budget of ₹16 crore, the film did wonders at the box office and crossed ₹300 crores. The film is now the second-highest-grossing Kannada film of all time and one of the biggest hits of 2022.

Rishab Sheety attributes this success to the film’s packaging which is deeply connected with the culture culture of Karnataka. He also thinks that Bollywood is losing out now-a-days due to 'too much western influence'. Speaking with Hindustan Times, the actor/director said that more regional is more universal. He also thinks that by focusing on one’s strengths that is your own region and the world you live in or are familiar with, you have a stronger chance to appeal to a wider audience.

According to him, Bollywood filmmakers are forgetting i these days. 'We make the film for the audience, not for ourselves. We need to keep them and their sentiments in mind. We need to see what their values and way of life are. We were there before we were filmmakers. But now, too much western influence and consumption of Hollywood and other content has led to filmmakers trying to do the same in India'. He further said that 'Gangubai Kathiawadi', 'The Kashmir Files', 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2', 'Brahmastra' were successful because they have had a strong connect with Indian ethos.

'Kantara', also stars Sapthami Gowda, Kishore, and Achyuth Kumar,in pivotal roles and has earned over ₹325 crore at the box office globally. The Hindi versions along with other dubbed versions, released two weeks after the Kannada original, and has also done pretty well with the Hindi version alone collectiong ₹53 crore, making it one of the most cost effective Indian films of the year.

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