Rishab Shetty Defends Treatment Of His Female Characters, Says 'Kantara Is Not A Man's World'

Rishab Shetty’s Kantara: A Legend - Chapter 1 opened up to an explosive response. The prequel to Kantara is Shetty’s most-anticipated film till date. The 2022 film Kantara became the second highest grossing Kannada film of all times. It went on to win two National Awards – the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment and the Best Actor for Rishab.

But the movie also received criticism for its degrading treatment of female characters, particularly the character played by Sapthami Gowda. Rishab Shetty has finally spoken up about the criticism of women characters in his movies. Here’s what he said:

Rishabh Shetty defends the treatment of female characters in ‘Kantara: Chapter 1’

Rishab Shetty recently spoke about the criticism he faced after people called out the treatment of female characters in Kantara

which was released in 2022. Even though the film became a blockbuster and went on to win many awards and accolades, people criticised Rishab Shetty for the disrespectful portrayal of his female characters, especially Sapthami Gowda’s.

Defending the same, he recently said that he did not agree with it. In an interview with News18 Showsha, Rishab said, “I don’t agree when you say that Kantara

is a man’s world. The character of the mother (played by Manasi Sudhir) in the first film was very prominent. The character of the Daiva Nartak is key in the story but the mother’s role is also very important."

Talking about how the climax in the film was not just about him but also the mother’s character, Rishab said, “If you remember the climax, when I was performing a dance ritual by embodying a divine spirit, my mother was an integral part of it. She was playing a dhol-like instrument. The Daiva Nartak could perform the ritual only after taking her blessings. Our film is about divinity and that’s a superior energy. In the same way, a mother is also synonymous with a superior energy."

Talking more about his character’s mother’s role in the film, Rishab said that he has showcased vulnerability in his character through the women in his movies.

He added, “The film was about Shiva. He started off as a borderline villainous character and it was important to showcase that in the service of the story. He goes around doing negative activities and he’s fearless. The only person he’s fearful of is his mother. We’ve also shown his vulnerable side in the film. When he sees a bad dream at night, he runs to his mother and sleeps next to her like a child would do."

Talking about how his female characters have always been the key factor in his stories, he said, “I give a lot of importance to my female characters in all of my films, since the very beginning. In my opinion, even in Kantara Chapter 1, Kanakavathi’s a very strong character. I think I justify my female characters even in a film where the story revolves around a man. I understand the conversations that had happened. But that’s their perspective. I know that I’ve justified them."

In Kantara: Chapter 1, Rukmini Vasanth plays princess Kanakavathi. Defending her role in the prequel, she said that the film rightly touches upon important aspects of femininity.

She said, “It explores feminine energy in its own capacity. Film mein yeh mudde ka exploration hua hai aur baad mein iske baare mein charche honge. It’s always nice to see people discussing and having a dialogue on the themes a film touches upon. The character of Kanakavathi has been written with a lot of depth. The audience will find it interesting to see a female character with so much agency within the Kantara universe."

Social and lead images credits: Hombale Films