Take note of Kantara’s success, Piyush Goyal tells industry veterans

PTI, Nov 3, 2022, 9:10 AM IST

Image credit: Twitter

Bengaluru: The grand success of the low budget Kannada movie ‘Kantara’ on Wednesday came in for praise from Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal who spoke about the film during the inaugural ceremony of the three-day Global Investors’ Meet (GIM) here.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who watched the movie, also lauded the director of the film.

Goyal was so impressed by the movie that he asked the industry leaders to take note of the success of Kantara.

Goyal referred to the movie while explaining how the Fortune 500 companies in San Francisco discussed with him how they looked at Karnataka and Bengaluru to grow their businesses.

“Hearing from fortune 500 companies, the way they are looking to grow and expand their operations in and around Bengaluru and other parts of Karnataka, I almost felt it was like a rerun of the movie Kantara,” Goyal said amid thunderous applause and a hearty laugh from the audience.

He said the movie was a low budget film with a very small investment showcasing indigenous art form and culture of Karnataka. The flick has been making waves in the commercial and critical spheres.

“While I knew it was a super hit, a block buster, the Chief Minister (Basavaraj Bommai) told me it has already crossed nearly 20 times of what they had invested in that movie. They have crossed Rs 300 crore against the investment of I think Rs 16 crore. I think it should be noted by all the captains of the industry here,” he said.

According to Goyal, the ecosystem that has been created in Karnataka for trade and industries will continue to attract more and more people to invest in the state.

Nirmala Sitharaman who was also on the dais when Goyal made the reference, watched the movie later in the evening with BJP and RSS workers.

Later, she tweeted, “with a team of volunteers and well-wishers watched #KantaraMovie in Bengaluru. Well made @shetty_rishab (writer/director/actor). The film captures the rich traditions of Tuluvanadu and Karavali.” According to RSS Prant Sah Prachar Pramukh, Rajesh Padmar, who was among those who accompanied Sitharaman in the cinema hall, she rang up Rishab Shetty and appreciated the film.