Rishab Shetty's latest film Kantara Chapter 1 has managed to do what many movies haven't been able to. Besides receiving a bumper opening in the first weekend collections at the box office, the Kannada film sailed through the boycott calls by a section of the Telugu-speaking audience.
Rishab Shetty, the lead actor and director of Kantara Chapter 1, courted controversy after he spoke only in his mother tongue Kannada at the film's pre-release event in Hyderabad, which is a primarily Telugu-speaking market.
In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Rishab Shetty said he had no intention to hurt the sentiments of any of his fans in Hyderabad and the entire incident was taken out of context.
"I'm a Kannadiga, I can speak in Hindi... I don't know English a lot. I think in Kannada, I live in Kannada. If I respect and love my mother tongue Kannada, I can't disrespect another language. If I'm a true Kannadiga, I follow that. Telugu (Andhra Pradesh) is like our brother state...
Rishab Shetty also thanked Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Telugu star Pawan Kalyan for supporting him.
Warm regards to our beloved actor and leader, Hon'ble Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Shri @PawanKalyan garu.
— Rishab Shetty (@shetty_rishab) September 30, 2025
Your deep and heartfelt connection with the people of Karnataka is truly appreciated and reflects the enduring bond between our states.
The Kannada and Telugu… pic.twitter.com/sQWarKz21T
"He (Pawan Kalyan) is a true gentleman. When I spoke in Kannada at that event in Andhra Pradesh, I was emotional and wanted to say something to Tarak (Jr NTR) sir. He is like my brother, my friend. We are connected. It was taken wrongly..."
It's easy to spread hatred, but building good relationships is a difficult task, added the actor-filmmaker.
"If a film comes and breaks a record, it's ok. Another film should come and break that record. Records are meant to be broken. Records don't belong to anyone but the audience," he said.
In his 21-year journey, Rishab Shetty said he has received a lot of support from people across industries.
