Rishab Shetty Height, Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Real name	Prashant Shetty [1]News18
Profession(s)	• Actor • Director • Writer • Producer
Famous For	Being the director of the 2022 Kannada film 'Kantara' and playing the role of Shiva in the film 'Kantara'
Physical Stats & More
Height (approx.)	in centimeters- 178 cm in meters- 1.78 m in feet & inches- 5’ 10”
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Career
Debut	Film (Kannada): Tuglak (2012) Film (Telugu): Mishan Impossible (2022) as 'Khaleel' Film (Kannada; Director): Ricky (2016) Film (Kannada; Writer): Ricky (2016) Film (Kannada; Producer): Sarkaari Hiriya Praathamika Shaale, Kaasaragodu, Koduge: Raamanna Rai (2018)
Awards	• Won Best Family Entertainer Award for the 2016 film "Kirik Party" at Karnataka State Film Awards in 2016 • Won Best Director Award for the 2016 film "Kirik Party" at the 64th Filmfare Awards South in 2017 • Won Best Director Award for the 2016 film "Kirik Party" 6th South Indian International Movie Awards (SIIMA) in 2017 • Won Best Family Entertainer Award for the 2018 film 'Sarkaari Hiriya Praathamika Shaale, Kaasaragodu, Koduge: Raamanna Rai' at Karnataka State Film Awards in 2018 • Won Best Best Children's Film Award for the 2018 film 'Sarkaari Hiriya Praathamika Shaale, Kaasaragodu, Koduge: Raamanna Rai' at the 66th National Film Awards in 2019 • Won the Kannada Popular Entertainment Award (Second Most Popular Kannada Cinema of the Year Award) for the film 'Sarkaari Hiriya Praathamika Shaale, Kaasaragodu, Koduge: Raamanna Rai' at the 11th Bengaluru International Film Festival in 2019 • Won Asian Paints Spotlight: Pioneering Contributions to New Wave Cinema Award at the OTTplay Awards & Conclave 2022 • In January 2023, his film Kantara made it to the Academy Awards contention list in the Best Picture and Best Actor categories. [2]India Today • In January 2023, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released a list of 301 feature films eligible for Oscars including Rishab Shetty's Kantara. [3]NDTV • Won the SIIMA Critics Award for Best Actor (Kannada) for the film ‘Kantara’ at the South Indian International Movie Awards, held at the Dubai World Trade Centre in the UAE in September 2023 • Won the National Film Award for Best Actor for the film Kantara in 2024
Personal Life
Date of Birth	7 July 1983 (Thursday)
Age (as of 2023)	40 Years
Birthplace	Keradi village, Kundapura, Udupi, Karnataka
Zodiac sign	Cancer
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Kundapura, Udupi, Karnataka
School	Board High School in Kundapur, Karnataka
College/University	• Vijaya College in Jayanagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka • Bhandarkars’ Arts & Science College in Kundapura, Karnataka • Government Film & Television Institute in Bengaluru, Karnataka
Educational Qualification(s)	• Master of Business Administration in Human Resources from Vijaya College in Jayanagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka • Diploma in film direction from Government Film & Television Institute in Bengaluru, Karnataka [4]Facebook - Rishab Shetty
Religion	Hinduism [5]The News Minute
Food Habit	Non-vegetarian [6]Bangalore Mirror
Controversy	Kantara Film Dispute In the 2022 film 'Kantara,' Rishab depicted Panjurli, a bhoota (a divine spirit of a male wild boar), which is known as the protector of righteousness and is a part of Bhoota Kola, as a Hindu god Vishnu’s incarnation, Varaha. In an interview, while talking about this, he said, "Those gods, they are all part of our tradition. It is part of Hindu culture and Hindu rituals. Because I am a Hindu, I have belief and respect for my religion. But I will not say others are wrong. What we have said is through the element that is present in Hindu dharma.” [7]The News Minute He was criticised by netizens for portraying Panjurli as Varaha in the film. Later, in an interview, while talking about how he went down to rural coastal Karnataka to research deeply about the local legends and folklore, so that the religious beliefs of people could not get hurt. He said, "I was looking at a story rooted in coastal Karnataka about agricultural land. But it isn’t just land. Bhootakola, Daivaradhane, our culture, our rituals and beliefs are all part of that. Once agricultural activities finish, it is marked with a celebration for 3-4 months because that is a ritual. People who have left the village also return for it. Such strong is the belief around all of it. It’s a rule. I wanted to bring all that but I did not have the complete idea and knowledge about it. I didn’t want any problem. I didn’t want anybody to be hurt or offended. I talked to the people who perform these rituals. I asked them more about it and researched more about it to be sure about how to go about it. I talked to the people who perform these rituals. I asked them more about it and researched more about it to be sure about how to go about it.” [8]Hindustan Times
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Marriage Date	9 February 2017
Family
Wife/Spouse	Pragathi Shetty
Children	Son- Ranvit Shetty Daughter- Raadya Shetty
Parents	Father- Y Bhaskar Shetty (astrologer) Mother- Lakshmi Shetty
Siblings	Sister- Pratibha Hegde (works at Wipro)
Favourites
Actor	Jr. N. T. R.
Actress	Ramya
Film	Bhootayyana Maga Ayyu (1974)
Filmmaker	Vetrimaaran
Style Quotient
Car Collection	• Audi Q7 • Skoda Fabia

Some Lesser Known Facts About Rishab Shetty

• Rishab Shetty is an Indian actor, director, producer and writer, who works primarily in the Kannada film industry. He is famous for writing, directing, and acting in the 2022 Kannada film ‘Kantara.’

• He was brought up in the village of Keradi village, Kundapura, Udupi, Karnataka.

• When he was studying in college, he developed an interest in acting.

• Before he became an actor, he worked as an assistant director. In the 2006 Kannada-language film “Cyanide,” he worked as an assistant director with the film director A. M. R. Ramesh. He was fascinated by Ramesh’s work as a director and decided to become a director.

• In an interview, Rishab revealed that when he was assisting A. M. R. Ramesh on the film “Cyanide,” he was offered a role of a supporting actor in a film after which he kept acting for several years and kept aside his wish for directing a film.

• After he debuted as an actor in 2012, he was cast in the 2013 Kannada film ‘Attahasa’ in which he played the character of an undercover cop. In the 2016 Kannada film ‘Ricky,’ he appeared as a supporting character. In the 2019 Kannada film ‘Avane Srimannarayana,’ he played a cameo role as Cowboy Krishna. In the 2021 popular Kannada gangster film ‘Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana,’ he was cast in the lead role as Hari.
  

  Poster of the 2021 film ‘Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana’

• He debuted in a lead role with the 2019 film ‘Bell Bottom’ in which he played the role of Detective Divakara.
  

  Rishab Shetty on the poster of the 2019 Kannada film ‘Bell Bottom’

• After making his directorial debut in 2016, he directed his second film, ‘Kirik Party,’ in the same year. In 2018, he directed a socio-political comedy film titled ‘Sarkaari Hiriya Praathamika Shaale, Kaasaragodu, Koduge: Raamanna Rai.’
  

  Poster of the 2018 film ‘Sarkaari Hiriya Praathamika Shaale, Kaasaragodu, Koduge Raamanna Rai’

• Some movies that are written by Rishab Shetty are ‘Kirik Party’ (2016), ‘Sarkaari Hiriya Praathamika Shaale, Kaasaragodu, Koduge: Raamanna Rai’ (2018), ‘Kantara’ (2022), and more.

• In 2019, he produced the film ‘Katha Sangama;’ he was also the creative head of the film. He produced and co-wrote the film ‘Hero,’ which was released in 2021. Some other films produced by Rishab are ‘Pedro’ (2021), ‘Shivamma’ (2022), and more.
  

  Poster of the 2022 film ‘Shivamma’

• In 2016, he started his own production house named ‘Rishab Shetty Films.’

• In an interview, Rishabh revealed that the first gift that he gave to his wife was a pair of golden earrings (Jhumkas), and the first gift that he received from his wife was a bottle of Old Monk rum.

• During a quiz game in an interview, Rishabh’s wife, Pragathi, shared that he would be working in the construction business if he was not a part of the film industry.

• In 2017, he appeared on the reality TV show Bigg Boss Kannada’s Kicchan Time. He received a certificate for learning to cook the dish ‘RiMeg Cream Chicken’ at Kicchan Time.
  

  Certificate given to Rishab Shetty for learning to cook ‘RiMeg Cream Chicken’

• In an interview, while talking about some behind-the-scenes of the 2022 film ‘Kantara,’ he revealed that he did not eat meat for about a month while shooting for the film, he said,
  

  I consulted many people who offer poojas to demigods in coastal areas. I visited Dharmasthala and sought blessings and advice from Dharmasthala administrator Veerendra Heggade who gave me a green signal. I not only prayed to the demigods but also did not eat non-vegetarian food for a month during the shooting.” ^[9]Bangalore Mirror

  

  Rishab Shetty in a still from the 2022 Kannada film ‘Kantara’

• After the massive success of the 2022 film ‘Kantara,’ which was directed by him, in an interview, on being asked about what made the film popular outside Karnataka and what was his thought process while making the film, he said,
  

  I strongly believe in the line – more regional is more universal. I think what we are doing wrong with the whole pan-Indian cinema dream is that we are trying to make bigger films. What’s the point when I try to make the kind of film that has already been made before in some other industry or in the west? Why will audiences pay money to watch such a film in theatres when they can watch it on OTT? In Kantara, I took elements from my own village and mixed it with a story about the conflict between some patch of land owned by some farmers and the forest department. It’s actually a story of humans versus nature. The differentiating aspect was the use of the mythology which is very region-specific and it worked wonders with the audience.” ^[10]Hindustan Times