Kantara Chapter 1.
Credit: PVR Cinemas
Rishab Shetty's recent outing, Kantara: Chapter 1, continues to rewrite history, as the movie is performing well at the box office and garnering praise for its performances globally.
Celebrating this cinematic spectacle, fans have been flooding social media with several appreciation posts. Meanwhile, some fans have gone too far, as they have shared posts imitating the holy Daiva characters.
There was an increasing number of fans who dressed up or behaved in public like Daivas.
Hombale Films posted an emotional letter on their official social media accounts. They wrote, "To the cinephiles and the global audience,
Dhaivaradhane stands as a profound symbol of faith and cultural pride within Tulunadu, the coastal region of Karnataka. Our films, Kantara and Kantara Chapter-1, were created to respectfully portray this devotion and celebrate the glory of the Daivas. We have strived tirelessly to ensure that the profound respect and unwavering devotion central to Dhaivaradhane were honoured, successfully spreading the significance and heritage of the Tulu soil to the world.
We are deeply grateful for the overwhelmingly positive response. However, we have observed that certain individuals have been imitating the Daiva characters from the movie and engaging in inappropriate behaviour in public spaces and gatherings.
Dhaivaradhane, or Daiva worship, as featured in our film, is rooted in deep spiritual tradition and is not intended for performance or casual mimicry. Such acts amount to trivializing our belief system and deeply hurt the religious sentiments and faith of the Tulu community.
Hombale Films, therefore, makes a strong and sincere appeal to the public and audiences to refrain from any act that involves imitating, mimicking, or trivializing the Daiva personas—whether in cinema halls or in public places.
The sacred nature of Dhaivaradhane must always be upheld. We urge all citizens to recognise the spiritual significance of these portrayals and act responsibly, ensuring that the devotion we seek to celebrate is never compromised or taken lightly.
We appreciate your continued support and cooperation in preserving the sanctity of this invaluable cultural heritage." (sic)
When recordings of fans dressed as Daivas dancing outside movie theaters to the trance music of Rishab Shetty surfaced online, several people criticised them, as many found it impolite, while others enjoyed the thrill.
Released on October 2, Kantara Chapter 1 was released in Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Bengali, and English languages on October 2 and is truly unstoppable at the box office. Recording the biggest weekend of the year, the movie collected a whopping Rs 335 cr worldwide gross in just 4 days.