Rajinikanth calls Kantara a 'masterpiece', heaps praises over Rishab Shetty: 'You gave me goosebumps'

Superstar Rajinikanth has joined the legion of Indian celebs praising Kannada sensation Kantara. The veteran actor took to Twitter on Wednesday to praise the film, calling it a masterpiece. He reserved some special praise for the film’s actor-director Rishab Shetty, applauding his role in making the film. Kantara has earned universal acclaim since its release last month and is currently the highest-rated Indian film on IMDb. Also read: Kangana Ranaut: 'Kantara should be India's entry to Oscar next year'

Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, Rajinikanth wrote, "‘The unknown is more than the known.’ No one could have said this better in cinema than @hombalefilms. #KantaraMovie you gave me goosebumps.” The veteran actor then tagged Rishab Shetty and praised his work as well. “@shetty_rishab Rishab hats off to you as a writer, director and actor. Congrats to the whole cast and crew of this masterpiece in Indian cinema,” added Rajinikanth. The film has earlier earned praise from several celebs, including Prabhas, Kangana Ranaut, Ram Gopal Varma, and Vivek Agnihotri.

Kantara is a Kannada film that blends issues like man vs nature and the land disputes in coastal Karnataka with the local beliefs and faith around Daivas and Guligas (regional demigods). The film has been critically acclaimed and is also commercially successful. As of Wednesday, it is only the third Kannada film ever to cross the ₹200-crore mark at the global box office.

Its Kannada success encouraged the makers to release dubbed versions in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam. Of these, the Hindi and Telugu versions are doing well, having netted over ₹25 crore each in just over ten days. The film is also the eighth-highest-grossing Indian film of 2022, behind only KGF Chapter 2, RRR, Ponniyin Selvan I, Brahmastra, Vikram, The Kashmir Files, and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, and ahead of Gangubai Kathiawadi and Valimai. Trade analysts are predicting it to rise further in the list.