Hombale Films announce writing for second part of Kantara has begun on Ugadi

The producers of Kantara, 2022’s surprise Kannada blockbuster film, have revealed on the occasion of Ugadi and New Year that they have begun work on the script. Earlier this year, Hombale Films and writer-director Rishab Shetty had shared there was much to explore still in the world of Kantara. The second part of the film won’t be a sequel, but instead it will be a prequel that will explore the events first introduced in Kantara. (Also read: Rishab Shetty confirms Kantara 2, says it will be a prequel: ‘What you saw is Part 2, Part 1 will come next year’)

On Twitter, the official handle of Hombale Films wrote, “On this auspicious occasion of Ugadi & New Year, we are delighted to announce that the writing for the second part of #Kantara has begun. We can’t wait to bring you another captivating story that showcases our relationship with nature. Stay tuned for more updates.”

The film is set in the forests of Karnataka in a village where they worship the deity Panjurli Daiva. However, a king takes the stone to which the villagers pray in exchange for land. Years later, his greedy successors try to usurp the land back from the villagers. Rishab also stars in Kantara as Shiva whose father is a Bhoota Kola performer. The angry young man has several tussles with Muralidhar, the forest officer who is tasked to turn the same land into a forest reserve.

The Kannada version was released on September 30, 2022 and the Hindi version released on October 14, 2022. Produced by Vijay Kiragandur and Chaluve Gowda, Kantara also stars Sapthami Gowda, and Kishore Kumar G. Kantara has grossed over ₹400 crore globally.

In February, Rishab had stated at an event, “We thank the audience for their immense love and support for Kantara. With the blessing of almighty Daiva, the film has successfully completed 100 days and I would like to take this opportunity to announce the prequel of the film.”

As per a report by Pinkvilla, he had added, “What you have seen is actually Part 2, Part 1 will come next year. The idea came to my mind while I was shooting for Kantara. It is because the history of Kantara has more depth to it. Currently, we are in the middle of digging into more details. As the research is still underway, it would be very early to reveal details about the film.”