Injured Jr NTR at Kantara Chapter 1 pre-release event: ‘If not for Rishab Shetty, this would be impossible…’

Despite an injury sustained during an ad shoot, Jr NTR attended the Kantara: Chapter 1 pre-release event and offered immense praise for Rishab Shetty.

By Goutham S

Updated on Sep 29, 2025 | 03:35 PM IST | 196K

Injured Jr NTR at Kantara Chapter 1 pre-release event: ‘If not for Rishab Shetty, this would be impossible…’ (PC: NTR Arts/Hombale Films, X)

Kantara: Chapter 1, starring Rishab Shetty in the lead, is slated for release in theaters on October 2, 2025. Directed by Shetty himself, the makers organized a pre-release event with Jr NTR attending as the chief guest.

Jr NTR heaps praise on Rishab Shetty at Kantara event

Speaking at the Kantara 2 pre-release event, Jr NTR emphasized that creating a film of this scale is humanly impossible, and only Rishab Shetty can do it.

In his own words, “I had the opportunity to see how strenuous the process of making Kantara: Chapter 1 was. I am being frank, it is not easy to make a film like this. For instance, when we went to a temple near his village, there was no proper way to reach it earlier. The path was created by their team as they were shooting nearby on a set built by them.”

“If it were not because of Rishab sir, it would be humanly impossible to make Kantara: Chapter 1. If it was not for the team Rishab sir believed in, I don’t think a film like this could’ve been made,” the actor added.

Interestingly, this marked Jr NTR’s first public appearance since sustaining an injury while shooting an advertisement. For those unfamiliar, the actor was on a break after falling on set and was advised to rest.

About Kantara: Chapter 1

Kantara: Chapter 1 is the upcoming Kannada film that serves as the second installment of the Kantara franchise. Starring, written, and directed by Rishab Shetty, the film will delve into the origins of the lore, set during the reign of the Kadamba dynasty.

The film also stars Rukmini Vasanth as the female lead, and Gulshan Devaiah will play the prime antagonist.

Jr NTR’s upcoming films

Jr NTR is currently working on his film, Dragon (NTRNeel), directed by Prashanth Neel. The movie is touted to be an epic actioner with Rukmini and Tovino Thomas reportedly playing prominent roles.

Additionally, the makers of Devara recently announced the sequel to the film, which is also part of Jr NTR’s lineup.

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