Chennai, Sep 29 (IANS) The makers of director and actor Rishab Shetty’s eagerly awaited Kannada language pan-India film ‘Kantara: Chapter 1’ have now chosen to cancel the pre-release event of the film that was to be held in Chennai on Tuesday.

The decision to cancel the event comes in the wake of the terrible stampede that took place at Karur that resulted in the loss of 41 lives.

Hombale Films, the production house that is producing the film, took to its X timeline to announce its decision. It wrote, “Due to the recent unfortunate incident, we are cancelling the #KantaraChapter1 promotional event in Chennai tomorrow. Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected. Thank you for your understanding, we look forward to meeting our audience in Tamil Nadu at a more appropriate time. #KantaraChapter1onOct2.”

It also carried a poster that read, “In view of the recent unfortunate incident, we have decided to cancel our Kantara Chapter 1 promotional event scheduled in Chennal tomorrow. We believe this is a time for reflection and solidarity with those affected. Our deepest condolences and prayers are with the families impacted. We are grateful for your understanding and support, and we look forward to meeting our audience in Tamil Nadu at a more appropriate time.”

The film has triggered huge interest and a trailer released recently has only added to the excitement of fans. The power-packed trailer sets the stage for one of the biggest cinematic events of India.

The trailer presents the events that happened before ‘Kantara’ which was released in 2022. While the makers of the film have not revealed much about the film in the trailer, there is a certain kind of intrigue that the makers have maintained even in the trailer. The film also features a new addition to the cast in the form of Gulshan Devaiah, who portrays the character of a ruthless king who forces his citizens into hardship, by imposing and collecting huge amounts of tax in the form of farm produce from them.

Gulshan’s character unleashes wrath upon the villagers when he finds out that the princess of the kingdom is romantically involved with the lead character essayed by Rishab Shetty. The trailer also shows how Panjurli, the demigod, steps in to save the villagers.

The creative team of ‘Kantara: Chapter 1’ includes music director B. Ajaneesh Loknath, cinematographer Arvind Kashyap, and production designer Vinesh Banglan, all of whom have shaped the film’s powerful visual and emotional narrative.

The makers have curated an extensive war sequence for Kantara: Chapter 1 with national and international specialists, involving over 500 skilled fighters and featuring 3,000 people. This sequence was filmed in an entire town spanning 25 acres on rugged terrain, over a period of 45–50 days, making it one of the biggest sequences in the history of Indian cinema.

Produced by Hombale Films, ‘Kantara: Chapter 1’ is set to arrive in cinemas on October 2 in Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Bengali, and English, reaching audiences across languages and regions while remaining deeply rooted in its cultural core.

–IANS

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