Rishab Shetty Says He Offered 'Kantara' To Puneeth Rajkumar; Here's Why It Didn't Happen

Kannada actor-filmmaker Rishab Shetty is currently basking in the success of his latest action thriller Kantara. The actor has not only played the lead role in the movie but also wrote and directed it. While Shetty is receiving a lot of love from the audience and critics, he recently revealed that he had earlier offered the movie to late actor Puneeth Rajkumar.

In an interview with Masth Cinema YouTube channel, Rishab Shetty talked about how he came out with Kantara. The actor was all set to work on his movie Rudraprayag after garnering success for his 2019 film Bell Bottom. But a few days before commencing the film's shoot, the world was brought to a standstill by the COVID-19 outbreak. As Rudraprayag was shelved, Shetty moved to his native village in Karnataka and worked on Kantara's story. 

Further in the chat, the actor revealed he created elements of the movie when he was in college and then developed the story while discussing it with his friends. He mentioned that the film's story evolved into something bigger than he had imagined. While he himself wanted to play the lead role of Shiva, he suggested the late actor Puneeth Rajkumar's name to his colleagues for the movie. However, he wanted Rajkumar to master the coastal Karnataka dialect for the movie.

The actor said, "I felt besides me, Appu sir will fit the role beautifully. Especially in the scenes of the buffalo race. But, I was particular about one thing. I wanted Appu sir to master the coastal Karnataka dialect. I was wondering whether he will allot so much time at such short notice."

Why Puneeth Rajkumar did not do Kantara?

During the chat, Shetty revealed that he narrated the film to Rajkumar and the latter was also excited about the project. Rajkumar wanted to explore different stories but his other projects came in their way. Shetty added, "One day, he called me and asked me to go ahead with the film without him. He told me that if I waited for him, I may not be able to do the film that year."

Image: Instagram/@rishabshettyfilms/@puneethrajkumarofficial