Kantara Chapter 1: Why Rishab Shetty Chose Manikandan To Dub For Tamil Version

Rishab Shetty’s much-awaited film, Kantara: Chapter 1, which opened in theatres worldwide on 2nd October is doing exceptionally well at the box office. On its first day of release, the film made Rs 60

crore in India. It made over Rs 2 crore on its opening day, and went on to make Rs 309 crore in India, and over Rs 407 crore worldwide. The film is doing well in Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and Tamil. An interesting aspect about the film is that, a well known actor has dubbed for Rishab Shetty in Tamil. It is Manikandan, the actor best known for his work in films like Lover and Good Night.

Kantara: Chapter 1: Rishab Shetty On Why He Picked Manikandan To Dub For Him In Film's Tamil Version

In an interview with Tamil Youtube channel Behindwoods, Rishab Shetty spoke about choosing Manikandan to dub for him “Manikandan is my favourite. I really admire his talent and performances. He is not just another mimicry artist; he has a rare gift. He doesn’t just replicate a voice; he brings in the essence of a person’s body language along with it,” Rishab said. “I once saw him brilliantly speak like Ajith’s voice and noticed how it evolved over the years. He can effortlessly recreate the voices of any actor.”

Rishab Shetty revealed that he had always wanted to work with Manikandan, and Kantara: Chapter 1 finally gave him the chance. “I felt he could dub for one of my characters in the film. When I reached out, he initially told me he wasn’t part of the dubbing union, which meant we couldn’t take him on board right away. But we made sure to follow all the formalities, like giving an official letter, seeking permission, paying the fee, and finally, he dubbed for my character. He has done a phenomenal job.”

https://youtu.be/gKJMgeEvSyE?si=xxcFFo1-g4dNQCh_

Rishab also spoke about their first meeting. “I told him I was his big fan, and he responded that he was an ardent admirer of mine as well. That moment was very special. He’s not only an exceptional artist but also a wonderful human being, and I feel so happy to have worked with him,” he said. Following up on the massive success of Kantara (2022), the prequel goes back in time to the Kadamba dynasty in pre-colonial Karnataka, exploring the origins of the Bhuta Kola ritual that eventually shaped Kaadubettu Shiva’s story.Kantara Chapter 1 also Rukmini Vasanth, Gulshan Devaiah, and Jayaram joining the ensemble cast, alongside Pramod Shetty, Rakesh Poojari, Prakash Thuminad, Deepak Rai Panaje, Hariprashanth M G, Shaneel Gautham, and Naveen Bondel. The technical crew features Ajaneesh Loknath’s music, Arvind Kashyap’s cinematography, and Suresh Mallaiah’s editing.