Pragathi Shetty reveals her family relocated 400 km from Bengaluru for ‘Kantara’, made several sacrifices

‘Kantara: Chapter One’ starring Rishab Shetty in the lead role is breaking all box office records by collecting Rs 725 crore globally. Meanwhile, Pragathi Shetty, the movie’s costume designer, who is also Rishab’s wife opens up about the risks and sacrifices behind the mega movie. Pragathi confesses that it wasn’t easy leaving behind the comforts of city life and relocating to Kundapura, which is 400 kilometres away from Bengaluru, for Kantara.

However, she acknowledged how the movie had helped them work hard and move ahead. She also opened up about the difficulties while working with her husband. Pragathi got candid about her experiences in an interview with NDTV.

“We had to move from Bengaluru to Kundapura (around 440 kilometres away) where the entire movie was shot. The frames look amazing in the movie because of our hard work. It was extremely difficult to reach these places every day. We even had to trek to some locations. The Kantara team had established a production base in Kundapura and sourced equipment from all over India.

We required good workers, but they were not ready to relocate, which was another major task. The entire team, including Rishab and me, has never seen a movie of this scale in our lives. So, it was indeed a learning experience. I learnt how to manage people as I had a huge team. In addition to this, I had to handle my family and kids. All these were difficult tasks for me,” says Pragathi.

Pragathi, who opened up about her relationship and marriage with Rishab confessed that she could see the honesty and innocence in his eyes when she saw him the first time. “I can still see the same innocence, no matter how much he grows. It is this innocence and honesty that took him to where he is now in life. It was an instant connection since we are from the same region and community. Everything happened quickly, and we got married in 10 months,” Pragathi said.

Meanwhile, Pragathi also spoke about how it was working with her husband in a movie. Admitting that it was difficult and there were disagreements, they clearly understood each other. “We argue sometimes, but we come to an agreement because both of us know that this movie is bigger than our ego. He would tell me he requires 500 costumes the next day, which was near impossible. I would ask him how he expects me to do that. But, I never said no. You don’t feel like saying no to anyone while working in a divine movie like ‘Kantara.’ He is the director, and I never said no. He knows I will never say no,” Pragathi said with a smile.

Rishab and Pragathi had to make several sacrifices and compromise their personal time and mental peace, relocating to another location. “A project like Kantara will drive you; it was a once – in a lifetime opportunity. In the beginning, I used to wonder how I would do this. But, it was akin to a university. I have learnt many things as a person – mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I have grown with this movie over the last five years. The movie made us stronger, and we learned a lot from it. As a couple and as colleagues, both Rishab and I have learnt a lot and understood each other more,” said Pragathi.