PremiumEmpuraan star Mohanlal addresses Kantara Chapter 1 casting rumours
After Kantara actor-director Rishab Shetty met Mohanlal in April last year, there have been rumours of a collaboration between the actors.
Complete actor meets Divine Star: When Mohanlal and Rishab Shetty met
Last Updated: 03.52 PM, Mar 27, 2025
Malayalam superstar Mohanlal to play Rishab Shetty’s father in Kantara Chapter 1 – that was the headline that accompanied speculative reports about this unique collaboration. The rumours arose after Rishab met Mohanlal in April last year, with ‘sources’ claiming that the Malayalam actor would have a substantial role in the prequel to Kantara. Considering that Mohanlal has, in the past, done cameos in Kannada films like Love and Mythri, and will soon be seen as part of the ensemble cast of the Telugu film Kannappa, it was believed that a role in Kantara: Chapter 1 could be quite likely.
Mohanlal asks for role in Kantara Chapter 1
In the time since, though, neither Rishab nor Mohanlal have confirmed or denied this speculation, so when the latter arrived in Bengaluru to promote his newest release, L2 Empuraan, which hit theatres on March 27, he was asked if he was indeed a part of Katara: Chapter 1. “Please ask them to put me in Kantara 2; I will also speak. Give me a role. I am not a bad actor, I think,” he said in jest, but thereby stating that he is not in Rishab’s film as of now.
Kantara: Chapter 1, meanwhile, is a period fantasy action drama set during the reign of the Kadambas of Banavasi, even though reports also suggest that Rishab could be bringing the origin of the Panjurli Daiva to the screen, given the deity’s significance to the franchise. The film is set for October 2, 2025 release, but research and shooting delays are likely to delay it, say sources.
Meanwhile, Mohanlal’s Empuraan, the second part in the Lucifer trilogy, opened to mixed reviews. While the feedback is not negative, the second instalment, despite having been mounted on a much bigger canvas than the original, has not lived up to the expectations set by Lucifer, in terms of storytelling. Empuraan is being described as a visual spectacle, made on a scale that is new to Malayalam cinema.