'Kantara's Rishab Shetty on treatment of women: Criticism reflects audience
Rishab Shetty, who won a National Award for his role in the 2022 hit Kantara, has addressed criticism about how women were shown in the film.
Some viewers felt the movie normalized Shiva's bad behavior toward women, but Shetty says this was intentional—to show Shiva's flaws.
He described Shiva as "a borderline villainous character," explaining that the character's actions were important for the story.
Some viewers felt Shiva's behavior toward women was problematic
Kantara became a massive success, but some people weren't happy with how its lead treated female characters.
Shetty clarified that these choices were deliberate and part of Shiva's story arc.
He believes criticism reflects audience perspective rather than his intent as a storyteller.
Shetty has now introduced more strong female characters
With the recent release of Kantara Chapter 1, Shetty has brought in new strong female roles like princess Kanakavathi (played by Rukmini Vasanth), whose character was described as having depth and agency.
Shetty also pointed out that even in the original film, key moments hinged on powerful female characters—especially Shiva's mother—and he remains committed to writing meaningful roles for women in all his stories.