Renowned film director Rishab Shetty said Kannada cinema is waiting for the OTT platform to open their doors.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Panaji, Goa yesterday, Shetty said Kannada movies used to generate revenue after participating in initiatives like NFDC Film Bazaar.

“But after the COVID19 pandemic and due to the OTT platforms, the markets have collapsed. The OTT platforms are refusing to accept Kannada films because one commercial film (from Kannada) backfired,” the ‘Kantara’ actor-director said, according to a PTI report from Panaji in Goa.

“Now, the OTT platforms are saying that they are not open for Kannada films. That is really bad. Just because of one film, you cannot say that there is no market for the film or there are no subscribers,” he added.

Shetty said he has done three films in Kannada, which are doing festival circuits. “OTTs are saying that they will take time to accept Kannada films. We are waiting for their doors to open,” he added.

Shetty claimed that if OTT platforms do not open the doors, then these would be the last films that he has done for any festival circuits.

The actor-director received critical acclaim for writing, directing and starring in ‘Kantara’, a Kannada period action thriller that was released in 2022.

The movie, which was screened at the IFFI as part of the international competition, is set in the fictional village of Dakshina Kannada and follows a Kambala champion, played by Shetty, who comes to loggerheads with an upright forest range officer, Murali.

He is now looking forward to ‘Kantara: Chapter 1’, the prequel to the blockbuster hit. The makers unveiled the first look of the movie on Thursday.

Shetty said that the idea of producing a prequel to ‘Kantara’ was there during shooting of the original film but the decision was taken after it became a hit.