Karnataka's Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre has taken a proactive stance within his department by initiating action against two film productions: Rocking Star Yash’s Toxic and Rishab Shetty’s Kantara prequel, titled Kantara: Chapter 1. The producers of Toxic, which include KVN Productions and Yash’s Monster Minds Creations, have been issued a show cause notice regarding purported illegal tree-felling activities. Meanwhile, Hombale Films is encountering legal challenges due to allegations of using explosives in forested regions.

Here’s the complete low-down on the ‘forest issues’ faced by the teams of Toxic and Kantara: Chapter 1

Toxic: Illegal tree-felling at forest land in Bengaluru

In October 2024, Eshwar Khandre, the state forest minister, claimed that numerous trees had been unlawfully cut down in the forested area of Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) in Bengaluru. The Karnataka Forest Department subsequently lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against the Toxic team under section 24 (g) of the Karnataka Forest Act, 1963, alleging that they had illegally removed trees from forest land in the Peenya plantation survey number 2 for the purpose of constructing film shooting sets.

In a recent update, the Toxic team has received a show-cause notice regarding this issue. Minister Khandre clarified that although there was an effort in 2020 to denotify the forest land owned by HMT, the Interlocutory Application (IA) submitted to the Supreme Court was executed without the necessary Cabinet approval. Khandre has suggested the retraction of the Interlocutory Application and has called for accountability measures against those involved in the tree felling.

Kantara Chapter 1: Disturbance in forest area with the use of explosives

Filmmaker and actor Rishab Shetty, along with the production company Hombale Films, is currently facing scrutiny from the forest department. Allegations have emerged that the crew of Kantara: Chapter 1 conducted filming in core forest regions, contrary to the designated grazing zones, and reportedly utilized explosives. Such actions are believed to disrupt the ecosystem and potentially escalate conflicts between humans and wildlife.

A former member of the Heruru Zilla Panchayat, where the filming site Gavi Betta is located, has claimed that the production team may have breached the terms of their shooting permissions. It is reported that the team behind Kantara: Chapter 1 received authorization to film for 23 days in the grazing area, which was granted under specific conditions.

Minister Khandre has instructed department officials to examine the filming location and provide a report regarding any potential violations. Should the team be found to have contravened the stipulated conditions, officials have been directed to halt the filming without delay.

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