Mumbai, Oct 8 Kannada superstar Rishab Shetty is extremely happy to have won the Best Lead Actor award for his film ‘Kantara’ at the 70th National Film Awards.
The actor said that winning the National Award will inspire others from the Kannada film industry and other film industries of India to come up with engaging stories and new ideas in pursuit of artistic excellence.
After the National Awards ceremony in Delhi, he said, “I feel extremely proud and happy to receive the National Award as it has given recognition to the Kannada film industry. It inspires the coming generations of actors and filmmakers from the regional film industries of India and they feel excited to perform better in pursuit of national recognition.”
He further said, “For me and my contemporaries, it gives us a chance to move forward because receiving the National Award is as much an honour as it is a big responsibility. It gives us a responsibility to work hard and achieve excellence.”
‘Kantara’ was written and directed by Rishab Shetty and produced by Vijay Kiragandur under Hombale Films. It stars Rishab Shetty in a double role. The film was set and filmed in Keradi in coastal Karnataka and its principal photography began in August 2021.
The film proved to be a box office success and became the second highest-grossing Kannada film of all time after ‘K.G.F: Chapter 2’, which was released in the same year at a gap of a few months. It was also the fourth highest-grossing film of 2022 in India.
The film has been a favourite of not only the audience but also the critics. It was also screened at the 54th IFFI Indian Panorama section, where it won the Silver Peacock – Special Jury Award.
Rishabh Shetty is currently busy preparing the prequel to the film ‘Kantara: Chapter 1’.
