Rishab Shetty Claims Bollywood Portrays India in ‘Bad Light’ in Viral Interview; Netizens React! (Watch Video)

Rishab Shetty earned pan-India praise with his performance in the 2022 Kannada film Kantara, which he also directed. At the recently declared 70th National Film Awards, Shetty even won the Best Actor award for his performance. Now, an interview clip of the actor is going viral, and going by that clip, Rishab Shetty doesn't seem to have a good opinion of Bollywood. The reason? He feels Bollywood is showing India in a 'bad light' through its 'art' films that are screened at global film festivals. Rishab Shetty Receives Warm Welcome at Home from His Wife Pragathi After Winning National Award for ‘Kantara’ (Watch Video).

In the viral clip from an interview he had given to MetroSaga, Rishab Shetty is heard saying in Kannada, "Indian films, especially Bollywood cinema, shows India in cheap or bad light, in the name of art and they get invited to global events and are given a red carpet. My nation my pride, my state my pride, my language my pride - why not take it on a positive note globally and that's what I try to do." Ironically, his own film Kantara highlighted forest encroachment and systemic oppression of tribals - social issues that had plagued India for years.

Watch the Interview of Rishab Shetty Here:

Bollywood Fans Respond to Rishab Shetty's Comments With 'Kantara' Scene

Rishab Shetty's allegedly disparaging comments didn't sit down well with certain Bollywood fans, and they took to social media to respond to him using a scene from his own film. The scene has the actor's character Shiva trouble his love interest, Leela, played by Sapthami Gowda, by pinching her stomach. The fans ask if this is the kind of image of India that he wants to portray through his films. 70th National Film Awards: Rishab Shetty Announces He Will Not Make ‘Festival-Type’ Films After Winning Best Actor for ‘Kantara’,

'In His Own Film'

Watch the Whole Scene From 'Kantara' Here:

Others criticised his view, saying that cinema shouldn't restrict itself to simply showing a country in a positive light.

'Hollow Nationalistic Pride'

'No Obligation to Show Country in Positive Light'

'Image Problem'

Sharing His Own Old Positive Quote on Bollywood Back to Him

Rishab Shetty is presently working on the next instalment of Kantara, which is presently the second highest-grossing Kannada movie of all time after KGF: Chapter 2. Kantara: Chapter 1 is a prequel scheduled to be released later this year.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 20, 2024 04:18 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).