Kantara Chapter 1: Gulshan Devaiah looks regal as king Kulashekara in first look poster

Gulshan Devaiah

The makers of the biggest Pan-India film of the year, Kantara Chapter 1, have finally unveiled the much-awaited first look of Bollywood actor Gulshan Devaiah, who steps into the role of Kulashekara in Rishab Shetty's ambitious prequel to the 2022 blockbuster Kantara. The announcement has sent waves of excitement across fans of the franchise, as the film gears up to revisit the mystical world that captivated audiences globally.

Gulshan Devaiah's first look out!

Hombale Films, the production house producing the eagerly awaited film, took to its X timeline to release the first look of the actor in the film. It said, "Introducing gulshandevaiah as ‘KULASHEKARA' from the world of KantaraChapter1. In Cinemas KantaraChapter1onOct2."

With Gulshan Devaiah's striking first look as Kulashekara now revealed, anticipation is building around how his character will shape the narrative of this much-loved universe. The film is slated for a grand worldwide release on October 2, 2025, across multiple languages including Kannada, Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali, and English.

About Kantara

For the unaware, Kantara was a pan Indian blockbuster featuring Rishab Shetty in a dual role, along with Sapthami Gowda, Kishore, and Achyuth Kumar. The film's story revolved around a Kambala champion who is at loggerheads with an upright forest officer. The film, which emerged a huge blockbuster, also came in for critical acclaim from film industry legends across the country.

Kantara: Chapter 1, the prequel to the blockbuster film, will be set during the reign of the Kadambas of Banavasi. It promises to expand the universe of the original film with a fresh narrative. While the first instalment redefined rooted storytelling with its seamless blend of folklore, spirituality, and human emotion, the prequel aims to dive deeper into the origins of its mythos, adding layers of intensity and emotional depth.

Sources reveal that Rishab Shetty will portray a Naga Sadhu with superhuman powers in the film. The film is expected to be a visual spectacle, backed by the powerful cinematic vision of Arvind S. Kashyap as cinematographer and the evocative music of B. Ajaneesh Loknath, whose compositions in the first film left audiences spellbound. Produced by Vijay Kiragandur under the banner of Hombale Films, the project carries the hallmark of high-quality filmmaking that the production house has become synonymous with in recent years.