Kannada cinema witnessed two biggest hits in history with Yash’s ‘KGF Chapter 2’ and Rishab Shetty’s ‘Kantara’. Both the films released within months of each other. While ‘KGF Chapter 2’ emerged as the highest-grossing Hindi film of the year, ‘Kantara’ proved to be the sleeper hit nobody anticipated.
It would not be wrong to say that both the films have been flag bearers of Kannada industry, ‘Kantara’ star Kishore has not watched ‘KGF 2’ and does not hold the film in high esteem as well.
Kishore, who played a righteous forest ranger in ‘Kantara’, said in a recent interview with India Today, “I don’t know if it is right or wrong but I haven’t watched 'KGF 2'. It is not my type of cinema. It is a personal choice. I would rather watch a small film that is not successful but deals with something serious than something that is mindless.”
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On the contrary, last November, during the peak of ‘Kantara’ success, ‘KGF’ star Yash had praised the film. During the India Today Conclave, when the host referred to Kantara as ‘your film’ before he corrected himself, Yash said, “Sir, it (Kantara) is also my film. You said it’s not my film, but it is my film also.”
For the unversed, ‘KGF Chapter 2’ minted over Rs 1200 crore globally, and ended up being one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time. While it was praised by critics, certain sections of fans and media found the film loud.
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Coming to ‘Kantara’, the film is a tale set in coastal Karnataka, and was one of the most unexpected hits of 2022. Made on a reported budget of just Rs 15 crore, it grossed Rs 400 crore worldwide. It even led to cash registers ringing in the Hindi and Tamil dubbed versions outside Karnataka.
