Rishab Shetty Celebrates Big SIIMA Night As Kantara Wins Nine Awards And He Takes Home Best Actor And Best Director

Rishab Shetty had a night to remember at the SIIMA Awards 2026, with the Kantara universe once again making a strong mark at the prestigious South Indian awards ceremony. The actor-filmmaker took to social media to celebrate the recognition, revealing that he won Best Actor and Best Director, while Kantara also secured the Best Film honour. Shetty described the evening as a truly special one and dedicated the moment to the people who helped bring the world of the film to life.

For Shetty, the Best Actor honour adds another chapter to his association with SIIMA and the Kantara franchise. He had previously won Critics' Best Actor and Best Director for the original Kantara at the 2023 edition of the awards. This time around, his performance in Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1 brought him back into the spotlight, with the latest win adding to the growing list of honours associated with the franchise.

But the celebrations were not limited to Shetty's individual trophies. According to his post, the Kantara team collectively took home nine awards, including honours for Best Actress, Best Cinematographer, Best Music and Best Lyricist, along with a Special Appreciation for Costume Design. Shetty congratulated the entire team, stressing that every award represented the hard work, belief and love that went into creating the film's distinctive world.

The actor-director's social media post also carried a strong cultural note. While expressing his gratitude, Shetty dedicated the recognition in Kannada to the divine and signed off with “Jai Karnataka Maate.” That sentiment fits naturally with the identity of the Kantara films, which have drawn heavily from Karnataka's folklore, traditions, spiritual beliefs and local cultural landscape. The franchise has become closely associated with stories that place regional traditions at the heart of a large-scale cinematic experience.

The SIIMA recognition comes at an interesting point in the Kantara journey. The original film had already established Shetty as a filmmaker and performer capable of blending folklore, action and drama into a story that travelled well beyond Kannada cinema. Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1 has continued that association, with Shetty receiving further recognition for his direction at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne earlier this year as well.

The actor's post was also a celebration of the people behind the camera and the audience that stayed with the franchise. Shetty thanked the cast, crew and viewers who supported Kantara throughout its journey. His photographs from the evening showed him holding several SIIMA trophies, including moments shared with another award recipient dressed in a saree, capturing the celebratory mood of the ceremony.

The latest SIIMA haul further underlines how much the Kantara world has expanded since the first film. What began as a Kannada-language story deeply rooted in local folklore has developed into a franchise that continues to attract attention across India and internationally. Shetty's latest awards night therefore became more than an individual victory; it turned into a celebration of the film's cast, technicians, musicians, designers and the cultural world they helped create.

For Rishab Shetty, the message from the evening was ultimately about the team rather than just the trophies. From Best Actor and Best Director to the wider collection of honours for Kantara, the SIIMA night gave the actor-filmmaker plenty to celebrate. And judging by his “night to remember” message, the trophies may have been the headline, but the people and traditions behind Kantara remain the real heart of the story.