Kantara for Oscar: Rishab Shetty’s blockbuster up for best actor and best film nomination

Just over three months ago, no one, not even filmmaker-actor Rishab Shetty, would have thought that his Kantara would become a massive blockbuster, or get international acclaim, for that matter. Contrary to all expectations, his rooted mannina kathe, which first released only in Kannada, but then had to be dubbed and released in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi, within two weeks, went on to amass a whopping Rs 400 crore at the box office. Most people who’d seen it in theatres felt that the last 30 minutes of the film gave it a divine feel. 

There was a lot of love from most quarters for Kantara, even after the south versions came on Amazon Prime Video. However, when the Hindi version came on Netflix, the discourse began to change, with a section of the audience calling it overrated. Well, Rishab’s ‘overrated’ film is now on the cusp of Oscar glory, having met the qualification criteria that makes it eligible for voting by members of the Academy. Kantara will be on the list of 300 films that members vote on in different categories. It joins SS Rajamouli’s RRR and Vivek Agnihotri’s Kashmir Files. Kantara will be up in two categories – Best Actor (Rishab Shetty) and Best Film (Producers: Hombale Films). 

Sharing the news on social media, Rishab wrote, “We are overjoyed to share that 'Kantara' has received 2 Oscar qualifications! A heartfelt thank you to all who have supported us. We look forward to share this journey ahead with all of your support. Can’t wait to see it shine at the #Oscars #Kantara @hombalefilms #HombaleFilms

Voting for the Oscar shortlist will begin on Friday, January 12 and ends on January 17. The 9,579 Academy members will decide if Rishab’s film makes the final cut or not. Fingers crossed now! Let the best man/film win.