Rishab Shetty’s National Award-winning brainchild ‘Kantara’s highly anticipated prequel has locked in its release date. The upcoming passion project will hit theatres on October 2, 2025. Backed by Hombale Films, ‘Kantara’ amassed widespread acclaim and emerged as one of the top films of the year. Created on a budget of 16 crores, the 2022 Kannada film racked up around 400-450 crores at the box office. The film carved a niche for Rishab in the Kannada Film Industry and made him a household name.

Taking to social media, the makers dropped a high-intensity poster announcing the release date of the anticipated film. In the blazing poster, Rishab looks fierce and ready for combat. He wields an axe in one hand and a trident in another. With his long and dishevelled hair, the actor looks up and screams. Hinting at a high-stakes showdown, the poster promises a pulse-pounding actioner. Sharing the poster, they penned, “ . . #KantaraChapter1 Worldwide Grand Release on , .”

️#KantaraChapter1 Worldwide Grand Release on , .#KantaraChapter1onOct2 #Kantara@shetty_rishab @VKiragandur @hombalefilms @HombaleGroup @ChaluveG… pic.twitter.com/VoehP4xW96

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— Hombale Films (@hombalefilms) November 17, 2024

The 2022 title earned Rishab Shetty the National Award for Best Actor while the film bagged the the award for Best Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. Shetty has not only starred in the film but has also written and directed the blockbuster. In August, Rishab expressed his gratitude for this achievement. He said, “I am truly overwhelmed by the honour of this National Award for Kantara. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to everyone who has been part of this journey, the incredible team of artists, technicians and especially Hombale Films.”

He added, “The audiences have made this film what it is and their support fills me with a deep sense of responsibility. I am committed to working even harder to bring an even better film to our viewers. With utmost respect, I dedicate this award to our Kannada audience, the Daiva Nartakas and Appu sir. I thank the divine as we have reached this moment through the blessings of the Daivas.”

Meanwhile, the awaited title, ‘Kantara: Chapter I’ will release in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, Bengali, and English. Shetty will return as the leading man of the film while also directing and penning the film. The slated release is the prequel of ‘Kantara’ while the makers are keeping other details under wraps.

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For those unaware, ‘Kantara’ is based in the fictional village of Dakshina Kannada. The film chronicles the story of a Kambala champion (Rishab Shetty) who faces off against a forest range officer. The title also features Sapthami Gowda, Kishore, Achyuth Kumar, Pramod Shetty, and Prakash Thuminad.

Meanwhile, Rishab Shetty also has Prashanth Varma’s ambitious project, ‘Jai Hanuman’ in the pipeline.