Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai

Mumbai, Oct 13: Rishab Shetty’s Kantara Chapter 1, the prequel to his National Award-winning film Kantara (2022), continues to break box office records, entering the Rs 400 crore club after just 11 days of release. The film has now surpassed the lifetime collections of SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali: The Beginning and Prabhas and Prithviraj Sukumaran’s Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire (2023).

The film witnessed a bumper second weekend, earning Rs 39 crore each on Saturday and Sunday, taking its total to Rs 437.65 crore, according to Sacnilk. In its first week, Kantara 1 minted Rs 337.4 crore, with the Hindi version contributing Rs 108.75 crore and Kannada Rs 106.95 crore.

Trade analyst Taran Adarsh wrote, “#KantaraChapter1 emerges a HIT… The film witnessed superb growth [102.39%] on its second Saturday, further cementing its status. Maharashtra continues to drive the business for the Hindi version. Sunday numbers are expected to give its already-impressive total an even bigger boost… Should hit the ?150 cr mark today.”

Kantara Chapter 1 has become the highest-grossing Kannada film of the year, surpassing Su From So (Rs 125 crore), and overtaking the lifetime collections of Telugu hit Game Changer and Salman Khan’s Sikandar. With its Rs 400 crore milestone, the film has also eclipsed Salaar (Rs 406.45 crore) and Baahubali: The Beginning (Rs 420 crore) in India.

Directed by Rishab Shetty, who co-wrote the film with Anirudh Mahesh and Shanil Guru, Kantara Chapter 1 stars Rishab Shetty, Jayaram, Rukmini Vasanth, and Gulshan Devaiah. The original 2022 Kantara won the National Award for Best Popular Film, and Shetty received the Best Actor National Award in 2024.

Film critic Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV praised the prequel, calling it “a manic, sometimes befuddling, mix of history, myth, cinematic craft, and performative power. When the disparate components and conceits blend well, it is an undeniably compelling watch.”