Kantara star Kishore calls KGF Chapter 2 ‘mindless’ cinema, says ‘I would rather watch a small film’

The two biggest hits in the history of Kannada cinema released last year, within months of each other. While Yash’s KGF Chapter 2 emerged as the highest-grossing Hindi film of the year, Rishab Shetty’s Kantara was the sleeper hit nobody anticipated. Even as both films are seen as flagbearers of Kannada industry, Kishore, one of the stars of Kantara, does not hold KGF 2 in high esteem.

KGF Chapter 2 earned over Rs 1200 crore globally, ending up as one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time. The action potboiler was praised by critics as well even though some found the film loud. Kishore, who played a righteous forest ranger in Kantara, seemed to echo that sentiment in a recent interview.

When asked about KGF 2, he told India Today, “I don’t know if is right or wrong but I haven’t watched KGF 2. It is not my type of cinema. It is a personal choice. I would rather watch a small film that is not successful but deals with something serious than something that is mindless.”

In contrast, last November, during the peak of Kantara’s craze, KGF star Yash had praised the film. During the India Today Conclave, when the host referred to Kantara as ‘your film’ before correcting himself, Yash responded, “Sir, it (Kantara) is also my film. You said it’s not my film, but it is my film also.” This solidarity with a Kannada film on the actor’s part won fans over on the internet.

Kantara, a tale set in coastal Karnataka, was one of the most unexpected hits of 2022. The Kannada film was made on a reported budget of just Rs 15 crore but ended up grossing over Rs 400 crore worldwide. It even made money in Hindi and Tamil dubbed versions outside Karnataka, where it broke several box office records.