Cinematographer Arvind S. Kashyap opens up about the making of Kantara Chapter 1, revealing the immense effort that went into capturing its powerful visuals. From trekking through remote forests to shooting for nearly 200 days in Kundapur, Kashyap details the challenges of shooting the film
L-Rishab Shetty in Kantara Chapter 1; R- Arvind Kashyap
Teamwork makes the dream work — a phrase that perfectly sums up the making of Kantara Chapter 1. While Rishab Shetty returned as writer, director, and actor for the prequel, it was the strength of his core team that helped translate his vision onto the screen. Among them was cinematographer Arvind S. Kashyap, whose striking visuals have become one of the most praised aspects of the film.
“There was definitely a lot of anxiety and sleepless nights,” Kashyap shared while talking to mid-day days after the film's theatrical release. “I knew what it had to look like, but the challenge was figuring out how to get there. Every day, I’d experiment with lights and setups until it felt right.”
The crew moved to Kundapur, Karnataka, and spent nearly two years there to bring the film to life. “Ninety-five percent of the film was shot in Kundapur,” Kashyap says, adding that it took weeks of groundwork to get the forest lighting and composition just right.
Shooting the Tiger sequences and climax
One of the standout portions of Kantara Chapter 1 is the tiger sequence, which Kashyap reveals was among the first to be filmed. “All the tiger sequences were shot in the first year itself because we knew post-production would take time,” he said. “We had detailed storyboards and VFX supervisors on set. My main goal was to make sure it didn’t look like VFX. We carried over the same shadows, greens, and imperfections from the real footage into the CGI.”
To achieve that realism, the team used blue models and stuffed stand-ins during shoots. “We framed shots with those props to ensure the lighting and scale matched perfectly,” he explains.
Kashyap says the team deliberately saved the climax for last. “We knew we had to top the post-interval sequence, otherwise, the audience wouldn’t be satisfied,” he recalled.
Working with Rishab Shetty, he says, was an experience in itself. “Rishab’s energy is infinite. When he performs, the entire set feels it. Our job was to capture that intensity as quickly as possible because it’s hard to sustain such raw emotion for long,” he says. “Especially during the Guliga portions, most shots were handheld and done in one or two takes. If you don’t capture it right then, it’s gone.”
The most challenging shoot
For Kashyap, the toughest part of the film was the sequence featuring Princess Kanakavati (Rukmini Vasanth) on horseback.“That location was extremely remote and inaccessible,” he noted. “We had to travel one hour by road from Kothapura, another half-hour off-road, and then trek for about 45 minutes downhill. We spent four days shooting a three-minute scene.”
The challenges didn’t end there. “The slopes were steep and slippery, and once it got dark, there was no way to climb back up. The crew had to carry tons of equipment down every day, everyone cursed us for that shoot,” he shared.
Many other scenes, including those shot in tribal settlements, came with similar difficulties. “If it started raining, we had to evacuate immediately because the roads would vanish within minutes,” Kashyap added.
Battling nature
Despite the unpredictable weather and treacherous terrain, the production ran smoothly thanks to meticulous planning. “Our management and production teams were incredible,” Kashyap said. “We had over 20 local members who could clear more than 100 vehicles in minutes when it rained.”
He recalls one incident that could have turned dangerous. “One night, it began raining heavily, and we were told to evacuate in ten minutes. Half an hour after we left, the entire road and bridge we had built were washed out. Nobody could get in for a week. If anyone had stayed behind, they would’ve been stranded.”
A 200-day shoot
The film’s principal photography spanned around 200 days, a massive undertaking by any standard. Through every sleepless night, unpredictable storm, and back-breaking trek, Arvind Kashyap’s vision never wavered. “It wasn’t easy,” he admitted. “But when you see it all come together on screen, you realize every struggle was worth it.”
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