For Rishab Shetty, Kantara is a gift that keeps on giving. The actor, writer, and director will be honoured with the Leadership in Cinema Award at the 2026 edition of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) next month. The award recognises Shetty’s contribution in bringing forth the traditional and spiritual heritage of coastal Karnataka through the two-part film franchise. 

A source said, “With the Kantara franchise, Rishab has emerged as one of contemporary Indian cinema’s most distinctive voices, bringing together mythology, faith, ecology, and human emotion in stories that have resonated with the audience in India and internationally.”