Deaths continue to plague Kantara-2; KGF actor Dinesh Mangaluru passes away 

BENGALURU: Kannada star and art director Dinesh Mangaluru (55), who was bedridden after suffering a stroke during the shooting of the movie Kantara, has passed away. Dinesh is an actor who gained the attention of the audience through his role in KGF. The character of Bombay Don Shetty in KGF was accepted across the country.

He was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Mangaluru after suffering a stroke during the shooting of Kantara. He was living a peaceful life at his home in Udupi after completing his treatment when he suffered a brain haemorrhage on Monday. He has acted in many films, including Rana Vikrama, Ambari, Savaari, Inthi Ninna Preethiya, Aa Dinagalu, Slum Bala, Durga, Smile, Atithi, Prema, Nagamandala, and Shubham. He is the art director of Kannada films, including No 73, Shanthi Nivasa.

Fans are pointing out on social media that tragic deaths and accidents are following Rishab Shetty's Kanthara like a curse. Dinesh is the fourth person to die since the start of the film's shoot. Two of the deceased are Malayalis. Actor Kalabhavan Viju VK, a native of Thrissur, died on June 12 after suffering a heart attack, as the shooting of the film was underway at Thirthahalli.

Viju, who suffered chest pain in the morning while staying at a homestay in Agumba for the film, was taken to the hospital but could not be saved. Junior artist M.F. Kapil, a 33-year-old from Kerala, died by drowning on May 6, 2025, while on a personal outing after a lunch break near the Souparnika River in Kollur, Karnataka. Prominent Kannada comedian Rakesh Poojary tragically passed away at 33 due to a heart attack on May 11. He collapsed at a friend's mehendi event and was immediately hospitalized.