Meet Pragathi Shetty, Rishab Shetty’s Wife And Creative Force Behind Kantara Who Juggled Motherhood And Sleepless Nights To Create Rs 500 Crore Kan...

There’s no slowing down Kantara Chapter 1. Within days of release, Rishab Shetty’s latest creation has stormed past Rs 500 crore worldwide — a feat few imagined, but many now celebrate. Yet behind the

film’s unfiltered brilliance and earthy storytelling stands someone who rarely seeks the limelight — Rishab’s wife, Pragathi Shetty. While Rishab travels across cities, riding the wave of success, Pragathi is always by his side, anchoring the creative chaos. She’s not just the supportive wife, but she’s one of the driving minds who helped shape Kantara’s visual soul. Every fabric, colour, and fold in the film carries her touch — a seamless blend of tradition and imagination.

The Unseen Force Behind the Screen

Those who know her say Pragathi’s strength lies in how she balances — home, work, children, and creativity — all without missing a beat. During the grueling months of Kantara Chapter 1, while the crew barely caught a wink, she handled two young kids and still found time to design every costume seen on screen.

In an interview with India Today, Pragathi mentioned that Rishab often worked 18-hour stretches, sometimes sleeping just three hours. “He’d wake up thinking about the film and go to bed still talking about it,” she recalled with a smile.

Pragathi Shetty's Early Life, Journey, And Education

Born in Mandarthi, a small town in Karnataka’s Udupi district, Pragathi never planned to become a designer. A graduate in software engineering from Sahyadri College, Shivamogga, she started her career in Bengaluru’s IT world. The work was stable, logical, and routine — but not enough to quiet her creative pulse. Her fascination with textures, colours, and culture slowly pulled her towards films. What began as assisting in costume departments soon turned into a full-fledged career. Collaborations with Rishab on projects like Bell Bottom (2019) and later Kantara (2022) cemented her as one of the most intuitive designers in Kannada cinema today.

A Love Story That Could’ve Been a Script

Their personal story, too, sounds straight out of a Rishab Shetty screenplay. In 2014, when Ulidavaru Kandanthe was released, Pragathi attended a screening as a fan of Rakshit Shetty — not knowing she’d meet her future husband that very evening. A brief chat turned into online conversations, and soon, friendship evolved into something far deeper. Their journey wasn’t without hurdles — Rishab was still finding his footing, and not everyone was convinced about his path. But as in most good stories, love had the last word. The couple married in 2017 and are now proud parents to two children, Ranvit and Radhya. What makes their bond special is how it extends beyond their home into their shared creative universe.

Together, Redefining Sandalwood’s Creative Core

Ask anyone in the Kannada film industry today, and they’ll tell you — Rishab and Pragathi are among its most dynamic duos. He conceptualises and directs with rooted conviction; she converts those visions into authentic and tangible textures. From the sacred finery of divine rituals to the worn-out drapes of villagers, every thread in Kantara Chapter 1 mirrors Pragathi’s instinct for detail.

Even Hombale Films, the production house behind Kantara, acknowledged their synergy while announcing its Rs 509 crore global collection.

For Pragathi, the film was not about glamour or fame, but it was about honouring the soil she grew up on and showcasing Karnataka’s heritage in its truest form.

She once said Kantara Chapter 1 felt like “a university of learning” — a phase that taught her patience, endurance, and the beauty of unseen labour. And if the film’s success is anything to measure by, Pragathi Shetty has earned top honours. Because sometimes, the real stories aren’t projected on the big screen — they unfold quietly, behind it, in the hands of those who make magic look effortless.