Rishab Shetty earned pan-India praise with his performance in the 2022 Kannada film , which he also directed. At the recently declared 70th National Film Awards, Shetty even won the Best Actor award for his performance. Now, an interview clip of the actor is going viral, and going by that clip, Rishab Shetty doesn't seem to have a good opinion of Bollywood.
The reason? He feels Bollywood is showing India in a 'bad light' through its 'art' films that are screened at global film festivals. . In the viral clip from an interview he had given to , Rishab Shetty is heard saying in Kannada, "Indian films, especially Bollywood cinema, shows India in cheap or bad light, in the name of art and they get invited to global events and are given a red carpet.
My nation my pride, my state my pride, my language my pride - why not take it on a positive note globally and that's what I try to do." Ironically, his own film highlighted forest encroachment and systemic oppression of tribals - social issues that had plagued India for years. Rishab Shetty's allegedly disparaging comments didn't sit down well with certain Bollywood fans, and they took to social media to respond to him using a scene from his own film.
The scene has the actor's character Shiva trouble his love interest, Leela, played by Sapthami Gowda, by pinching her stomach. The fans ask if this is the kind of image of India that he wants to portray through his films. , Is this you? 😂 — yourweirdcrush X (@Yourweirdcrush1) RISHABH.