(This article is authored by Alar)

Recently awarded the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for 2023, Rishab Shetty is relishing in his accomplishment. In the film he directed and starred in, Kantara, he was honoured "Most Promising Actor." The announcement of a prequel to Kantara, which will serve as the film's second part and focus on the origins of the demigods, gives the audience more to look forward to.

The Sandalwood actor was noted for his portrayal of Kambala Champion, whose story is a moving ode to the traditions of the Karnataka state. Now the latest buzz on the town has that the sequel could feature Superstar Rajinikanth. After being asked about Rajinikanth's cameo at the Dadasaheb awards ceremony, and when the actor and director remained silent, speculations have intensified.

Conversing about the success of Kantara at an event in Bengaluru, Rishab Shetty pulled about Kantara 2 and said, "We are researching for the script. Preliminary work is underway. In the prequel, the audiences are in for plenty of surprises, even the film’s genre will be different", he promised. The original story of Panchuruli Daiva in Kantara served as inspiration for the prequel.

Released in theatres on September 30, 2022, Kantara received rave reviews upon its debut. This film, produced by KGF fame Hombale Films, features Kishore, Achyuth Kumar, Sapthami Gowda, and Pramod Shetty. Overall, the film was a commercial and critical success, earning more than Rs 400 crore around the world. As per the statement of Vijay Kirangandur of Hombale Films, the prequel will be a pan Indian release which will be out in April or May 2024.

Rajinikanth was very enthused about the release of Kantara, and he praised the film for both Rishab Shetty's direction and performance. The famous actor posted his thoughts about the movie on Twitter. After that, Rishab Shetty went to Chennai to visit Rajinikanth at his home and ask for the veteran actor's blessing. After that, Rajinikanth spent some time with Rishab Shetty, who is also an actor, and gave him a gold chain and locket as a token of his appreciation.