Rishab Shetty as Sri Krishnadevaraya sparks debate: Tuluva, Kannada or Telugu pride?

As reports emerge that Kantara star Rishab Shetty will collaborate with Ashutosh Gowariker on a film about the Vijayanagara emperor, netizens wonder what facts will be presented

Rishab Shetty to play Sri Krishnadevaraya?

Kantara actor-filmmaker Rishab Shetty is, according to the latest buzz, set to play Sri Krishnadevaraya in a film to be directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, a role that has been immortalised by the late Dr Rajkumar in Kannada. The assumption is that the project will be made as a Hindi original and dubbed in other south languages, with the worrisome factor the factual authenticity of what will be portrayed onscreen.

Kannadigas have welcomed the news that Rishab Shetty will play Sri Krishnadevaraya, whose reign as the third ruler of the Tuluva dynasty lasted two decades. Considered one of the most powerful monarchs in Indian history, Krishnadevaraya’s reign is also considered the golden age of Telugu literature, which has sparked an online debate about whether he should be Tuluva, Kannada or Telugu pride.

What netizens are saying about the depiction of Sri Krishnadevaraya

“Krishnadevaraya belisiddu teluganna”, “He wasn't ethno-linguistically Tulu”, “The title 'Taulava' was given because he ruled parts of Uttara Kannada which was called as Tulunadu. His ancestors were saluvas from Kalyani of North KA. Tulu isn't spoken in Uttara Kannada district. He was half Kannada half Telugu”, “No inscriptional evidence, book or diary written by Krishnadevaraya in Tulu. He refers to himself as Kannada raya in epic authored by him. Just cause his ancestors ruled over the region doesn't mean his becomes the same ethnolinguistically”, “He was called Andhra Bhoja and his court was bilingual, using Telugu and Kannada”, were among the comments that popped up online after the news broke.

Rishab, meanwhile, is busy ensuring that his next, Kantara: Chapter 1 meets its October 2 date with audiences. There has been speculation galore that the film will be delayed, but the team has repeatedly insisted that there’s no change to the release date, including in the new poster that was revealed on the actor-filmmaker’s recent birthday. Besides the Kantara sequel, Rishab is also committed to playing Hanuman in Jai Hanuman and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

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