Bengaluru: The team of Rishab Shetty’s much-anticipated film ‘Kantara Chapter 1’ is facing a series of setbacks in the form of unforeseen and unfortunate incidents.
A day after mimicry artist Kalabhavan Niju died of a sudden heart attack at a homestay, the film unit encountered another mishap during shooting.
A boat carrying more than 30 crew members, including lead actor and director Rishab Shetty, capsized at the Mani Dam in Mastikatte, near Thirthahalli, in Karnataka’s Shivamogga district when they were filming a scene.
Luckily, all the actors and crew members managed to swim to safety, and no serious injuries have been reported.
According to police, the accident occurred in a shallow zone of the reservoir, near an area locally known as Melina Koppa, which helped avert a possible tragedy.
However, cameras and other filming equipment were swept away in the water.
Repeated setbacks
Even before the film’s release, the production has been marred by repeated setbacks.
In May, actor and comedian Rakesh Poojary died of cardiac arrest while attending a wedding, while junior artiste MF Kapil tragically drowned in the Souparnika river after being caught in a cross current.
Last November, a minibus carrying 20 junior artistes from the shoot met with an accident in Mudoor, but all escaped unhurt. Then again, an elaborate set constructed for the film was destroyed due to torrential rains.
These incidents have left the team shaken, leading to a pause in the production.
‘Risky’ subject
Theatre artist Ramadas Poojary told PTI that making a movie on the spirits of Dakshina Kannada is always risky, as the spirits (Bhootas-Daivas) don’t like the commercialisation of any activity connected to them.
However, Shetty has conducted elaborate poojas and was given permission to make the film, according to Poojary.
A senior crew member said some from the team panicked when the boat overturned, but all of them waded through to safety.
“It shows that the spirits have blessed us in some way,” the crew member told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
The shooting of ‘Kantara Chapter 1’ started in November 2023, with the film slated for release on October 2 this year.
It’s the prequel to the 2022 movie ‘Kantara’, which was a major hit, both commercially and critically.
