Rain taps rhythmically on red-tiled roofs in Kundapura, the salty breeze flirting in from Maravanthe Beach, and a cluster of curious fans slows to a crawl outside a mango-tree-lined gate.
Behind it, Kannada cinema’s new talisman, Rishab Shetty, has built a house that is as much a shrine to folklore as it is a playground for luxury. The man who turned a forest fable into the Rs 400-crore global hit Kantara now lives in a home where yakshagana masks hang next to National Awards and a pearl-white Audi Q7 shares space with a centuries-old bullock cart. Poetic irony? Perhaps. Perfectly Shetty? Absolutely.
Rishab Shetty House
Nestled in Kundapura, Udupi district, the Rs 12-crore mansion rises on land once home to supari palms owned by Shetty’s great-grand-uncle. Today, one lone palm stands proudly in the backyard-a living family flag. Wide laterite steps and brass-studded Burma-teak doors greet guests, while a hand-pulled temple bell doubles as a “bound-script alarm,” rung ceremoniously by every visiting director.
Inside, a skylit atrium frames a 300-kg granite tulasi katta, surrounded by four alcoves showcasing yakshagana headgear, a cricket bat signed by Yuvraj Singh, and the rifle prop from Kantara. Step on a particular black stone in the northeast corner, and for seven seconds, surround-sound chants of a Bhoota Kola sequence fill the air-a whimsical party trick Shetty loves to show off.
Rishab Shetty: The Screening Sandpit
Italian leather recliners face a retractable 150-inch screen, crowned by a reclaimed Mangalorean-tile chandelier that bathes the room in russet light. Dolby Atmos? Check. The projector, nicknamed “Seleyaraya” after the forest spirit of Kantara, watches over every frame with protective zeal.
Rishab Shetty Cars
The driveway reads like a timeline of Shetty’s triumphs: a 2022 pearl-white Audi Q7 (Rs 83 lakh), a fiery Red Rage 2021 Mahindra Thar, a 2020 Jeep Compass Trailhawk for city traffic, and a 2019 Royal Enfield Interceptor 650-a college-era dream realised. Each horn is tuned to a folk rhythm: the Q7 hoots Bhoota Kola beats, the Thar rumbles tiger-dance cadences, leaving neighbourhood traffic cops bewildered, amused, and occasionally dancing.
Rishab Shetty Net Worth
Shetty earns roughly Rs 4 crore per acting role, plus hefty directorial paychecks. Kantara’s profit-sharing reportedly added Rs 20 crore to his bank, while eco-retreat homestays on two coastal plots now host “Kantara Trails” weekend packages. Brand endorsements are selective-only those with “local soul” make the cut. Conservative estimates place his net worth at Rs 12 crore (USD 1.5 million), with post-Kantara deals still inflating the figure.
Production House HQ: Coconut Water & Creativity
A renovated rice mill 10 km away houses his production office. Exposed brick, terracotta jalis, and hammocks replace chairs in the writers’ pit. Meetings begin with a five-minute “sound walk” to identify bird calls, sharpening storytelling instincts in a distinctly Shetty style.
Rishab Shetty: Personal Touches & Hidden Stories
The kitchen boasts black-stone counters seasoned with home-made coconut oil, perfect for the Sunday Kori Gassi ritual. Awards are scattered unexpectedly-Filmfares may sit beside bathroom handwash. The loft houses 1,200 books, from folklore to Stephen King thrillers, reminding the actor that fear has many dialects.
Security & Quirks
Facial-recognition cameras are complemented by Yaksha, a retired coastal-police dog. Visitors surrender phones to vintage brass lockers, earning betel-nut candy in return. The Wi-Fi password rotates monthly with a new Kantara dialogue, keeping staff on their toes, while roof tiles are numbered like a detective’s case file for monsoon leaks. A dedicated “Rain Room” lets him edit scripts to the drum of real thunder.
Rishab Shetty’s house isn’t merely a luxury address-it’s a living manuscript, where tradition and modernity, folklore and Ferraris, cohabit in perfect cinematic harmony. When a storyteller builds a sanctuary, bricks and mortar turn into plotlines, and apparently, every horn, bell, and tile has its own tale to tell.
