Rishab Shetty denies slamming Rashmika Mandanna at IFFI as he reacts to fan: ‘Someone understood what I meant to say’

Rishab Shetty made a statement at IFFI about not leaving the Kannada film industry after achieving success. Many believed it was a jibe at Rashmika Mandanna.

Rishab Shetty seems to have clarified a statement he recently made at IFFI 2023 (International Film Festival of India) in Goa. A section of social media users said the actor-filmmaker was taking a potshot at actors such as Rashmika Mandanna and directors like Prashanth Neel, who delved into other film industries after achieving success. But Rishab Shetty agreed with a fan on social media, who broke down his statement and claimed that it was being misunderstood. (Also Read: Rishab Shetty criticises OTT platforms, says they aren’t open to the Kannada film industry)

What Rishab Shetty had said

Rishab was asked at the recently-held IFFI if he would ever consider working in the Hindi film industry. The actor said that he doesn’t want to leave the Kannada film industry after giving one hit with Kantara. He said, “After Kantara’s success, I received offers from not just Hindi but other film industries also. I am missing out on many beautiful opportunities because I believe I should not leave the Kannada industry. It’s a sentiment. Ek film hit hua toh ye industry chhod ke jaa raha hai, aisa nahin hona chahiye. (People shouldn’t think I’m leaving the industry after delivering one hit.)”
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What it was construed as

Rashmika and Prashanth achieved massive success in the Kannada film industry and post that. The former grew to fame with her 2016 film Kirik Party and later branched into Telugu with the 2018 film Chalo. Geetha Govindam, released the same year changed her life and she has since gone on to act in Tamil and Hindi also. She was recently seen in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal with Ranbir Kapoor. Prashanth on the other hand scored a hit with both KGF and KGF 2 starring Yash. He is currently working on Salaar: Part 1 with Prabhas, venturing into Tollywood and Bollywood. Netizens believed that Rishab was taking a jibe at these two leaving the Kannada film industry post their success.

Rishab disagrees

A fan took to social media after Rishab received backlash to clarify that the actor’s statement was misconstrued. “My sincere apologies to @shetty_rishab this is what he actually said. He meant that he doesn’t want to be called a person who’s leaving the industry after delivering one hit. It does not imply ‘I’m not leaving Kannada industry like others.’ Lot of difference.” Responding to the fan, Rishab wrote, “No problem, finally someone understood what I really meant to say.”