This actor-director behind Rs.500 crore blockbuster once worked as office boy, driver, and left Amitabh Bachchan’s Jalsa empty-handed

Rishab Shetty is riding on the enormous success of 'Kantara Chapter 1', which is still the box office champion in its third week running, with collections closing in on ₹547 crore, and is only ₹50 crore short of becoming the highest-grossing movie of the year, solidifying Rishab as one of Indian cinema's most efficient filmmakers and actors.

Rishab, during the show, made a nostalgic mention of his earlier encounters to meet Amitabh when he was struggling. He had gone to Mr. Bachchan's residence when he was trying to convince him to star in a Hindi adaptation of his National Award-winning film 'Sarkari Hi. Pra. Shaale, Kasaragodu, Koduge: Ramanna Rai'. While he never got to meet Mr. Bachchan at the time, he fondly recalled catching a glimpse of Mrs. Jaya Bachchan and being dazzled by the room which displayed numerous accolades.

In typical Amitabh Bachchan graciousness, Mr. Bachchan replied that the accolades in that room belonged to everyone in the family, including Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, and Abhishek Bachchan. Mr. Bachchan's humility in remembering his family's achievements (wife and kids) along with his own clearly touched both Rishab and the audience in attendance.

Rishab also reflected on his humble upbringing, growing up in a typical lower-middle-class family in Karnataka, with his father working as an astrologer and limited finances. He discovered his love for theatre through a Kannada adaptation of the Marathi play “Ghashiram Kotwal” where he played the lead role and won the Best Actor, and was a transformative time leading him down the road towards cinema.

Rishab shared how he did odd jobs to make ends meet, including selling tea powder, delivering 20-litre cans of water, and working at hotels. By chance, he had catered water for an event on the day the certificate course in filmmaking was launched, and he enrolled into the program with his savings which marked the true beginning of his cinema journey.

After a long stretch of a decade of working from an office boy in Mumbai to directing his upcoming films from Bangalore, Rishab Shetty had come full circle. While 'Kantara Chapter 1' continues to do tremendously well in the theatres, he is looking ahead to his next big film, 'Jai Hanuman', where he will be playing Hanuman. Amitabh Bachchan, for his part, continues to host the new season of Kaun Banega Crorepati and remains an inspirational figure for many artists including, possibly, Rishab.