{"id":18276,"date":"2025-10-07T21:15:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T21:15:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/07\/rishab-shetty-responds-to-criticism-over-portrayal-of-women-in-kantara-we-cant-change-the-story-regional-cinema-news\/"},"modified":"2025-10-07T21:15:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T21:15:15","slug":"rishab-shetty-responds-to-criticism-over-portrayal-of-women-in-kantara-we-cant-change-the-story-regional-cinema-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/07\/rishab-shetty-responds-to-criticism-over-portrayal-of-women-in-kantara-we-cant-change-the-story-regional-cinema-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Rishab Shetty Responds To Criticism Over Portrayal Of Women In Kantara: \u2018We Can\u2019t Change The Story\u2019 | Regional Cinema News"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Rishab Shetty addresses criticism over the depiction of women in Kantara, saying the story\u2019s spirit cannot be changed to meet external expectations.<\/h2>\n
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Rishab Shetty rose to prominence after the success of Kantara. (Photo Credits: Instagram)<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Rishab Shetty, who wrote, directed, and starred in the Kantara franchise, has responded to ongoing criticism about the representation of women in his films. The filmmaker shared that while his female characters are crafted to be strong and significant, their journeys are guided by the story\u2019s essence which he believes shouldn\u2019t be altered to satisfy public opinion.<\/p>\n

Rishab Shetty reacts to backlash over female portrayals<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a 2022 scene that drew widespread attention, Shetty\u2019s character was seen pinching the heroine\u2019s waist without her consent \u2014 a moment that sparked debate online. Reflecting on the criticism in a recent interview with Times Now, he explained the context behind the act.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn it, there was Shiva\u2019s journey, who is not just a hero but also a villain. People misunderstood him, thinking the hero is doing something wrong. I was just showing what he shouldn\u2019t do, but is doing the opposite. He has faced a lot of negativity, but later he will reach enlightenment. The story also shows how situations lead to change,” said Rishab.<\/p>\n

He continued, \u201cThe mother\u2019s character was very interesting and powerful. Many people may have opinions, but we can\u2019t change the story.”<\/p>\n

\u2018Cinema reflects society,\u2019 says Rishab<\/strong><\/p>\n

Addressing criticism not just of his own films but also of others like Sandeep Reddy Vanga\u2019s Animal, Rishab explained that cinema often mirrors reality \u2014 both its light and dark aspects.<\/p>\n

\u201cStories in cinema often reflect society. Cinematic liberty allows filmmakers to recreate what we see in society. Some of it is positive, some negative. We present everything, and it\u2019s up to the audience how they perceive it. Films can give important points and information; people take away the good, while the negativity is shown and then left behind,” he reasoned.<\/p>\n

Rukmini Vasanth supports her director<\/strong><\/p>\n

Backing her director\u2019s stance, Rukmini Vasanth, who played the female lead in Kantara: Chapter One, praised the depth and sensitivity in her character.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Chapter One, I think a very beautiful character was written by sir and his team. It\u2019s a role that, as an actor, I\u2019ve been delighted to play. It has been truly gratifying for me,” she said, adding that the role helped her evolve personally and professionally.<\/p>\n

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Shrishti Negi<\/a><\/p>\n

Shrishti Negi is a journalist with over eight years of experience in the media industry. She leads the Entertainment desk at News18.com. She writes breaking news stories, generates feature ideas, edits copies, …Read More<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Shrishti Negi is a journalist with over eight years of experience in the media industry. She leads the Entertainment desk at News18.com. She writes breaking news stories, generates feature ideas, edits copies, … Read More<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

First Published:<\/span><\/p>\n
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October 08, 2025, 02:22 IST<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

News<\/a> movies<\/a> regional-cinema<\/a> Rishab Shetty Responds To Criticism Over Portrayal Of Women In Kantara: \u2018We Can\u2019t Change The Story\u2019<\/span><\/div>\n
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Last Updated:October 08, 2025, 02:22 IST Rishab Shetty addresses criticism over the depiction of women in Kantara, saying the story\u2019s spirit cannot be changed to meet external expectations. Rishab Shetty rose to prominence after the success of Kantara. (Photo Credits: Instagram) Rishab Shetty, who wrote, directed, and starred in the Kantara franchise, has responded to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18277,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18276","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18276","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18276"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18276\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18276"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18276"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tezgyan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18276"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}