kantara movie review by foreigners

Kantara Review: Insanely Entertaining, Propelled By Rishab Shetty's Blindingly Good Star Turn

Kantara review: a heady blend of history, myth, folklore, high drama and stylishly choreographed action neatly wrapped in a form firmly rooted in the cultural milieu it has sprung from..

A still from Kantara trailer. (courtesy: HombaleFilms )

Cast: Rishab Shetty, Kishore, Achyuth Kumar, Sapthami Gowda

Director: Rishab Shetty

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

A visually sumptuous, instantly immersive spectacle mounted with extraordinary vim and vigour, writer-director-actor Rishab Shetty's Kannada-language Kantara , now on nationwide release in Hindi and other languages, is a heady blend of history, myth, folklore, high drama and stylishly choreographed action neatly wrapped in a form firmly rooted in the cultural milieu it has sprung from.

Shetty is also the writer and lead actor of the film. As screenwriter, his output is probably just a touch shy of being perfect, but the script has enough heft and vibrancy to translate into a mass entertainer that is visceral, rousing and unwaveringly riveting.

A wide array of things makes Kantara the incredible film that it is, but the most prominent of all are the on-screen performers led admirably well by Shetty. He packs a punch that sends us reeling and continues to reverberate long after the film has run its course.

The film kicks off at scorching pace. The introduction of a divine spirit that watches over the forest and a stirring Kambala buffalo race within the first 15 minutes or so of the film set the tone. Getting accustomed to the sensory overload takes a while. However, once the two-and-a-half-hour film's design - both visual and aural - reveals itself in all its splendour, everything falls into place and draws the audience into the spellbinding Kantara (literally, mystical forest) universe.

The potent drama focuses on the fraught power dynamics, social and divine, that have forever been at play in a coastal Karnataka village where a seemingly benign feudal lord wields unlimited, unquestioned authority over the people. He decides what is good for the villagers. The latter go along.

It isn't servility that underpins the relationship between the master and his serfs. The key is loyalty. It has been built over decades of what feels like benevolence but may not be what it appears to be. Also central to the plot of Kantara is a conflict that arises from threats posed to the rights of forest dwellers over the swathes of land that have been their home for centuries.

In the lead role, Shetty brings dizzying energy to bear upon his performance as the buffalo race champion Shiva, a fiery young rebel with a cause. The young man has to contend with demons of his own mind - recurring nightmares in which he sees visions of the reigning deity in a wrathful avatar drive him to the edge of despair and a constant need to give vent to his rising ire.

His impulsive response to provocations put him on a collision course with the powers that be and his own mother, Kamala (Manasi Sudhir). She frets in vain over his compulsive hunting of wild boars - an act that is linked to the unsettling dreams that repeatedly interrupt his sleep - and violent confrontations with the landlord's henchmen.

The actor-director creates an electrifying larger-than-life figure whose volatile ways shape the frisson that pulses through the film. The young man, perpetually on a short fuse, is foresworn to protecting the village from forces out to rob the indigenous population of access to their ancestral land. Friction between him and government officials erupts because the latter are loath to accept that the forest belongs to the villagers.

Kantara , a film of phenomenal sweep and power, delivers a blindingly brilliant climax and a build-up to it that send the film soaring to the sort heights that only truly great commercial films have ever attained. The cinematography by Arvind S. Kashyap and the musical score by B. Ajneesh Loknath are magnificent. They work in tandem to create an impactful, out of the ordinary movie experience.

As tensions peak in the village and the forest's demigod (ritualistically celebrated in the annual Bhoota Kola ceremony) lurks in the background and is always ready to strike, the nature and dimension of Shiva's fight become clear.

Shiva's biggest foe is an upright deputy forest range officer Muralidhar (Kishore) who will stop at nothing to ensure that the government's writ runs. The landlord Devendra Suttur (Achyuth Kumar), Shiva's master and benefactor, makes common cause with the feisty young man. But are the powerful arbiter's intentions above board?

The opening moments of Kantara provide some broad historical clues. In quick succession, the script details the context of the present conflict. In 1847, the King, at the bidding of the Panjurli (boar) demigod, hands over a large expanses of land to the tribal denizens of the forest and is in return assured of decades of peace and prosperity.

Many generations later, the King's successor, driven by greed and drunk on power, wants all the land to be restored to the royal family. The deity, infuriated at the violation of the long-standing covenant, metes out instantaneous punishment to the offender. In 1990, the year in which Kantara is set, a government officer arrives in the village with a brief to wrest control of the forest land under his charge.

Legends and myths prevalent in the area and beliefs flowing out the forest dwellers' collective memory constitute the narrative crux of the story. The film is marked by a deep sense of the unique ethos of the people it is about.

Shiva, a Bhoota Kola ritual performer, represents a hoary custom but has passed on the mantle to a cousin because he was witness to the disappearance of his father while he was in the guise of the demigod. The loss still haunts Shiva and spurs him on to fight for the protection of his cultural/spiritual moorings.

Shiva is a virile defender of his people and their animistic philosophy, but he isn't the conventional, insuperable Alpha male that films such as KGF, RRR and Pushpa have brought back to the Indian cinema mainstream and made a box-office killing in the bargain. Kantara resists the temptation and is none the worse for it.

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The climactic good-versus-evil confrontation - it isn't an ordinary hero-vanquishes-villain construct, catapults Kantara to an exalted plane. It offsets the one drawback that dilutes the film's a bit. Such is Shiva's halo that the characters around him - his friends and his girlfriend Leela (Sapthami Gowda) - are not quite as vivid as the other technical and narrative elements of the film.

In the light of the sustained overall finesse, anything in this film that is less than totally unblemished will count only as a minor false stroke on an otherwise impeccably realised canvas. Kantara , propelled by Rishab Shetty's blindingly good star turn and impressive directorial skills, is an insanely entertaining film. An absolute must watch.

Rishab Shetty, Kishore, Achyuth Kumar, Sapthami Gowda

Rishab Shetty

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'Kantara' movie review: Rishab Shetty delivers a compelling and rooted film

Conflicts between man and nature have always provided enough fodder for our filmmakers to dole out one film after the other. Rishab Shetty’s Kantara, though dealing with the same concept, strives to be original and wins at it by staying rooted and realistic.

Even in his previous films, Ricky and Sa.Hi.Pra Shaale, Rishab expressed his flair for telling stories of the coastal belt of Karnataka. With Kantara, he further goes deep into the woods to talk about safeguarding forests even while delivering a compelling revenge-action drama with a blend of crime and divinity.

Kantara is set in a fictional village of Dakshina Kannada, and begins in the 18th century when a king exchanges a piece of land with his people and moves on to find peace and happiness. Centuries later, the same land becomes a threat to the tribals of that area., but they believe their demigods, doubling up as their guardians, protect the village. The story shifts to the 90s, and we see the face-off between villagers who dwell in the forests, and the forest officer who wants to clear any encroachment in the area.

Shiva (Rishab Shetty) lives a carefree life with his friends, and is often at loggerheads with forest officer Murali (Kishore), who just wants to uphold the law of the land. We also have a politician Devendra Suttur (Achyuth Kumar), whose misdeeds become his identity. But there is a bigger evil at work, and Kantara is about Shiva’s struggle to bring justice to the people of the village.

The film ends with an outstanding climax, which is definitely the USP of Kantara. There are multiple viewpoints in Kantara, and it is all wonderfully brought together by Rishab, who has written and directed the film too.

Rishab is only getting better with each film, and the backing of Hombale Films has allowed the filmmaker to make the movie more realistic. Even though it runs on the familiar territory of human-nature conflict, the chapters of Bhoota kola and Kambala make it unique. Every frame of the film is beautiful. DOP Aravind Kashyap lights up Kantara in vivid shades, and with able support from art director Dharani Gange Putra, gives Kantara a rather natural look.

Kantara also explores some serious issues like caste discrimination. While there is no separate comedy track, there are enough quirks in some of the characters to add to the fun quotient. The film brings in crisp narration, and extra credit should be given to the well-orchestrated action sequences.

Composer Ajaneesh Loknath is marvellous in Kantara. While his folk melodies are soothing, the background score accentuates the narrative of Kantara.

Rishab, the actor, is outstanding as Shiva, and breathes life into this rather unconventional character. He has undergone a mass and intense transformation for the role, and the effects are evident. Rishab’s performance in the nail-biting climax will definitely make the audience cheer and applaud for him. Sapthami Gowda as forest guard Leela, who is also Shiva’s love interest, delivers a decent performance in Kantara. Kishore and Achyuth too give powerful performances, and it is a joy to watch the former’s intense ego clashes with Shiva. Manasi Sudhir, Pramod Shetty and Prakash Thuminad too are decent with their acts.

With Kantara, Rishab once again creates magic, both as a director and an actor, and delivers an entertainer with a strong social message, and an even stronger final act.

Director : Rishab Shetty

Cast : Rishab Shetty, Sapthami Gowda, Kishore, Achyuth Kumar

Ratings : 4 out of 5 stars

(This story originally appeared on Cinema Express )

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Kantara movie review: Rishab Shetty's mesmeric blend of action and mythology ranks among the best of Indian cinema

Kantara movie review: rishab shetty brings an original tale rooted in indian culture and mythology that surely ranks among the best efforts by an indian filmmaker in recent times..

By the time of the writing of this review, Kantara has earned endorsements from people far more accomplished in the world of cinema, with many more National Awards than this writer can ever hope to win. So I’ll admit I went into the theatre with a preconceived notion about the film, hoping for something good. But Kantara still blew me away. The beautiful amalgamation of action, thrill, faith, and mythology in this powerful film ranks among the best efforts by any Indian filmmaker in recent times. Also read: Kantara becomes highest-rated Indian film on IMDb, Dhanush calls it 'a must-watch'

A lot has been said about how Indian cinema is losing touch with its roots and not finding original stories from the heartland. This land, being so diverse and vast, is a treasure trove of stories. Kantara shows just what is possible when a good storyteller decides to tell an original tale rooted in the land and its culture, while bringing with himself the expertise and technical finesse of good filmmaking. At the heart of it, Kantara is the age-old story of man vs nature, of villagers vs zamindars, and the thirst for land and money. But it is so much more as it weaves elements from coastal Karnataka’s culture and mythology in the story so seamlessly and fluidly.

The story is set around a village in south Karnataka where a king had given that land to the villagers 150 years ago. In 1990, when the story is set, an upright forest officer (played by a brilliant Kishore) is trying to curb tree felling and hunting in that land, which is now a reserve forest. To complicate matters, the villagers believe that the land was given to them as a boon from their Daiva--the demigod protector of the forest, and are hence in no mood to listen to this outsider. Leading the charge against this is the village strongman Shiva (Rishab Shetty), and he is supported by the king’s descendant, the village’s sahib (Achyuth Kumar).

It is hard to pinpoint the one thing that makes Kantara tick. Let’s start with the script. It takes a story seen very often in our daily lives and introduces some unique local flavour, rooting it to Indian culture, making it stand out from among other such tales. Then comes the real cherry on top of this beautiful cake- the breathtakingly beautiful cinematography of Arvind Kashyap. The way Arvind’s lens has brought alive the folklore of Kantara is a lesson for storytellers. Some of the scenes of the buffalo racing in the beginning of the film deserve special praise, as do all the scenes from the festivities and visuals of the Daiva.

The background score and music from Ajaneesh Loknath complements the camera work totally. The choice to use western instruments in some scenes depicting Indian festivities was a bold one and it pays off quite well. The score brings out the myths, culture, and feel of the land where Kantara is set, taking you into the heart of the story so easily that you forget you are sitting in a movie theatre in another part of the country.

Rishab Shetty as Shiva delivers a powerful performance as this unstoppable force, who will go to any lengths to protect his village and his people. His beautifully-choreographed and slick action sequences would be at home even in the best of Hollywood films. Kishore is on the other spectrum as the calm, simmering forest officer Muralidhar, at loggerheads with Shiva. The actor brings so much intensity into his scenes that it’s a treat to watch.

This review would be incomplete without the mention of how colourfully and glamorously the film portrays the local festivities and rituals. The colours are vivid, the sounds melodic, and the portrayal powerful. All the scenes involving the Daiva are compelling, and some even hair-raising. That guttural scream from the Daiva gives you goosebumps on more than one occasion. Without spoiling anything, I can just say that the climax, while being a completely masala Indian film offering, elevates the film to another level.

Like Sohum Shah’s Tumbbad some four years ago, Kantara is proof that the earthy, rooted folk tales from India have the power to be turned into compelling cinema. Kantara, in fact, takes Tumbbad’s legacy even forward. Despite being appreciated by everyone who watched it. Tumbbad made only ₹ 13 crore at the box office. Kantara, meanwhile, is hurtling towards the 100-crore mark. It is an important film because it’s success will determine if other filmmakers across India will dare to tell original stories.

Director: Rishab Shetty

Cast: Rishab Shetty, Kishore, Achyuth Kumar, Sapthami Gowda, Pramod Shetty, and Manasi Sudhir.

Abhimanyu Mathur is an entertainment journalist with Hindustan Times. He writes about cinema, TV, and OTT, churning out interviews, reviews, and good old news stories. ...view detail

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Kantara: A Legend

2022, Drama/Action, 2h 27m

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Kantara: a legend   photos.

A fiery young man clashes with an unflinching forest officer in a south Indian village where spirituality, fate and folklore rule the lands.

Genre: Drama, Action, Adventure

Original Language: Kannada

Director: Rishab Shetty

Producer: Vijay Kiragandur , Chaluve Gowda

Writer: Rishab Shetty

Runtime: 2h 27m

Production Co: Hombale Films

Cast & Crew

Rishab Shetty

Kaadubettu Shiva , Shiva's Father

Achyuth Kumar

Devendra Suttooru

Pramod Shetty

Sapthami Gowda

Deepak Rai Panaje

Ragu Pandeshwar

Watcher Raghu

Prakash Thuminad

Suchan Shetty

Forest Guard Ravi

Screenwriter

Vijay Kiragandur

Arvind Kashyap

Cinematographer

Pratheek Shetty

Film Editing

Chaluve Gowda

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Home » Review » Kantara review: Spotlight's firmly on Rishab Shetty in this glorious piece of story-telling »

Kantara review: Spotlight's firmly on Rishab Shetty in this glorious piece of story-telling

An intensely engaging story based on folklore from coastal Karnataka, Rishab Shetty's film is an absolute winner. 

• Prathibha Joy

Last Updated: 10.19 AM, Sep 30, 2022

Story: A village on the fringes of a reserve forest in Kundapura forms the backdrop of this tale. Believed to have been a gift from the king many centuries ago, this land becomes a bone of contention for the government, as it is encroachment in a reserve forest area, as well as for the local landlord, who wants to reclaim what he believes to be rightfully his. The conflicts that arise between the villagers, the forest department, and the landlord form the crux of this tale.

Review: If there’s one thing that Rishab Shetty has established today with his film Kantara, it is that you can create goosebump-inducing cinematic experiences without unrealistic heroism elevation shots. You can do it even if your hot-headed lungi-clad hero finds simple pleasures in drinking freshly brewed arrack after winning a Kambala race.

Kantara may seem like a mundane tale of land grabbing and the politics behind it, but on closer inspection there is so much more. It’s a coming-of-age, transformational journey for Rishab’s character Shiva, going from being the alcohol guzzling, weed smoking angry young man to truly embracing his roots. Honestly, it is difficult writing about this film without giving away plot points, so I will try my best to refrain from that. Kantara, I believe, is a film that has to be experienced visually and not by piecing it together from a review or two. And I say this as someone who has absolutely no understanding of the culture and traditions of Kundapura. Rishab’s film had me glued to my seat from start to finish even though I could not comprehend the significance of Bhoothakola or Daivaradhane, as practised in the region. A subject so alien, yet one that I grew increasingly intrigued about as I was watching Kantara.

Rishab Shetty is, undoubtedly, the star of Kantara. As Shiva, he puts on a riveting performance that was also physically challenging, but is made to look absolutely effortless. This is a role he’d written for himself, he’d told me earlier. What a good call that was for the filmmaker, who had not played the lead in his earlier directorial ventures. Come to think of it, it is next to impossible to imagine anyone but him in that role. But Rishab’s absolute masterstroke is in the ensemble cast he assembled, whether it is Kishore, Sapthami Gowda, Pramod Shetty, Prakash Tumminad, or Achyuth Kumar. Each one is brilliant in well-sketched characters written by Rishab. And even though I had to rely on the subtitles for portions of the Tulu dialogues (which, interestingly, also had Kannada subtitles), the gist was conveyed well.

Ajaneesh Loknath, you are a magician with music. I am no expert, but the tunes he’s put together as songs and background score are absolutely mesmerising and pleasant to the ear. Please release the full soundtrack of the film soon. And last, but definitely not the least, Aravind S Kashyap and his wizardry with the camera. Rishab can take credit for writing the world of Kantara, but showing it to us as a visual spectacle is Aravind and his lens.

Verdict: Rishab’s biggest victory, I believe, is that he’s been able to transport his audiences to this tiny hamlet and be involved in everything going on there. Taking a rooted tale and presenting it to a larger audience is a gamble; not everyone may take a shine to it. But if you at least manage to create an iota of interest in the subject among this audience, it’s a job well done. Kantara may not be perfect on all counts, but it will go down in history as a film that will be remembered for all the right reasons.

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Kantara movie review: A vibrant and mythical tale with just the right drama

Kantara is an important story that is portrayed stunningly with the help of folklore, and art that is native to the Kundapura area. Rishab Shetty has performed stunningly in an affecting film.

Language: Kannada

Cast: Rishab Shetty, Kishore Kumar and Sapthami Gowda

Director: Rishab Shetty

Star rating: 3.5/5

Hombale Films, the production house that bankrolled KGF films is back with a dynamic film called Kantara . It is a rooted, it is vibrant and it is performed so stunningly, that there are moments that leave you in goose bumps. The most important characteristic of this film — despite its flaws — is how it chooses to encapsulate the fight of the tribal community for their land. This is an issue that persists in India today, but filmmaker and lead actor in the film — Rishab Shetty —  has set the story mainly in the 1990s. The film does span three timelines, going back to 1890. It all begins like a fairy tale, and speaks of Kings and their lives.

One such, who had everything, including the blessings of his people continually felt empty within, and he sets upon a soul searching journey that leads him to the village that the film is set in. His journey ends with him surrendering his weapon and himself to the local deity, who guards the tribal community. He attains the peace that he had been in search of all this while in the presence of this goddess and he seeks the community’s permission to take her back to the palace.

This moment is indicative of how the royal families in the 1890s appropriated the tribal gods, but left the people behind. They went on to oppress these people, continued to enslave them and forced them to stay illiterate purely out of hunger for more power and greed. Caste system was upheld strongly, and the hegemony continued to stay strong for decades still.

However, the community in the film has a guardian angel, and that is their deity. She seeks a promise from the King, in return for his favour, She orders for the surrounding land — forest and all — be bequeathed to the people of the community. She also warns the king that if any of his future generations were to back away from this promise, they would face and unfortunate end. This is where the film gets a brilliant mythical tone. This deity that everyone believes in strongly keeps the community for decades. The film flashes forward to 1970.

This time period reiterates how people in positions of power abuse it. It portrays one of the King’s descendants lusts after the many acres of land. The value of the land has grown manifold in the years since, and all this man can see is money. He takes part in a popular local procession of the community that celebrates their deity. He sees a performance of Bhoota Kola (an animist form of spirit worship that is native to the costal districts of Tulunadu and some parts of Malenadu in Karnataka and Kasargod in Kerala). One wrong move by this descendent leads to his death. Yet, it also leads to the disappearance of the performer. It is his son — Shiva (Rishab Shetty) who inherits the talent for Bhoota Kola. However, after having witnessed his father’s disappearance first hand, he decides not take up Bhoota Kola, and instead begins to work for the dead descendant’s son who goes by “Landlord” in the film.

Shiva is the one who must deal with greed for money and for power in the present. How he grows up from a naive thug on hire for the Landlord, to a responsible adult who stands with his people is well-etched out and entertaining. The region that the story is set in, the people that Rishab has penned about in the film — its all his home ground. He developed the story of Kantara during the pandemic lockdown when he was home, after hearing the story of a performer from his son. So Kantara is as rooted as it can get. Especially, the sequences featuring Bhoota Kola are so stunningly shot by Arvind Kashyap that it induces goosebumps multiple times.

The music of Kantara is also a star of the film that not only supports the narrative but elevates it as well. The inspiration from local folklore of Karnataka, the local artists that were spoken to, and the ones who were also featured in the film add authenticity to the endeavour of adapting a folklore. It is a simple tale about a community reclaiming the lands that were originally theirs, owed to them by a man who bartered with them. It would have come across as uninspired, if not for the introduction of Bhoota Kola, and the myths that surround spirit worshipping.

Above all of this, what really takes the prize is Rishab’s acting. This is something that the director-actor’s friends had hyped up before the release of the film. However, the hype is real. The last 40 minutes of the film is where Rishab has truly outdone himself, and every moment is gravitating. There is no way you could stray away from the screen, not even momentarily.

There is but one complaint that I have of this film and it is the way Shiva woos Leela. It is understandable that the film is set in 90s, but pinching the waist, or using certain situations to touch her left me cringing in my seat. Leela’s character is not really one-note, either. Her struggles are interesting, but she never get the time to unpack it on screen. This is one of the few characters that truly needed more attention, failing which the film has fallen prey to the syndrome of portraying a female character as nothing but an attractive lamppost.

Overall though, this is film that one must watch just to understand the dynamics of a life lived in interior parts of Karnataka. There is Kambala, and Bhoota Kola, and then there is the story itself that rings true which is captured with stunning visuals. All of this, makes for a film that is definitely worth your time!

Priyanka Sundar is a film journalist who covers films and series of different languages with special focus on identity and gender politics.

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Review: 'Kantara' Is Doused in Local Flavour and Tension But Is Lopsided

The Kannada movie excels when it focuses on Shiva, the protagonist, but flounders while depicting the other characters.

A screengrab from 'Kantara'.

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Rishab Shetty’s Kantara , a recent Kannada film, asks an old question that never got old: Who owns the land? Three possible answers: the king, the landlord, or the people. Or no one – land is eternal, and so is its owner, the Almighty (or nature itself). This tripartite struggle marks the screenplay, too, which cuts from 1847 to 1970 to 1990. The whole saga originated from an elemental concern: a restless ruler craving contentment.

In 1847, a powerful king searches for solace far and wide. He eventually finds it in a small statute in a forest. The king can own it on one condition, says a man possessed by the deity, he’d have to grant a large portion of the land to the villagers. 1970: the villagers continue to own the land, but the king’s descendant, a landlord, has become greedy, threatening to usurp the property via legal action. A few days later, the deity speaks: The landlord dies on the stairs of the court, his mouth spurting blood. 1990: a peaceful village, a benevolent landlord, and a carefree young man, Shiva (Shetty), indifferent to the past. But a new forest officer, Murali (Kishore), unmoved by local customs, considers the villagers encroachers and wants to restore law.

Like its subject, Kantara is a force of nature. It hurtles like a bull, gusts like the wind. It teases, captures and slays. It’s doused in local flavour: the Bhoota Kola festival worshipping the Panjurli demigod, the annual kambala event featuring darting buffaloes, and the villagers hunting wild boars. Its cameras sway, its colours scream. It’s an atmospheric visual feast: rains lashing the dense forest, fire torches slicing the forbidding nights, the camera swooping down the rural landscape.

It circles back to its triangular tension with a new design: the landlord, the people, the cop. The story has an untrammelled and unpredictable rhythm: the landlord seems compassionate, the cop villainous. But even the villagers-cops tussle doesn’t play out as straight. The forest officers have to protect the land; the villagers have to protect their livelihoods. It even foreshadows the sly treachery underpinning the story. In an early scene, during the kambala event, a villager says, “The buffaloes run; the owners win.”

But a feature film isn’t a 100-metre sprint; it’s a marathon. It must pace and plan, using varied resources. Shetty tries, but that’s when Kantara also starts to gasp. It often leans on quasi-slapstick humour, even evident in dialogues, against the backdrop of a cue-ridden background score. The gags are sporadically funny, undercutting the thoughtful detours.

Another opening, via a romantic subplot, is marred by constant sexism. When Shiva meets his childhood acquaintance, Leela (Sapthami Gowda), a trainee forest officer, he pinches her tummy. That incident is then referenced as an overlong joke. In at least two scenes, a local woman’s protruding teeth are compared, either implicitly or overtly, to a buffalo’s mouth. Shiva ogles at Leela, invades her space and, blaming her for a decision outside her purview, slaps her. Leela gets no dialogues for a long stretch. Shiva casts an intimidating presence around her. She isn’t a person but a device — a soft tonal variation — who, of course, falls in love with him.

Kantara excels when it focuses on Shiva but flounders while depicting the other characters. Murali, for instance, a cop just doing his job, is propped up as a needless villain. He so sorely lacks an inner-life, or any shred of complexity, that he looks like a type, shutting all doors of engagement. It feels all the more contradictory because, as we find out, he isn’t a bad guy at all. Even the role reversal of the landlord (Achyuth Kumar) — a seemingly nice guy turned evil — fails to shock or surprise, as Shetty doesn’t hide his vile intentions well. Shiva’s lack of convincing relationships with these people, including his cousin Guruva (Swaraj Shetty) — the deity incarnate in the Bhoota Kala festival, who is later murdered — keeps making Kantara lopsided.

Which is why its long middle segment struggles to elicit a poignant reaction. The film regains its vigour and emotional power in the last 30 minutes, when it embraces its strength: dazzling set-pieces. Its climactic arc is a thing of bewitching beauty, following its own three-act structure: betrayal, resolution, beginning. The devices return — blood drips, sickles swish, eyes pop — making you crave more.

Arvind Kashyap’s cinematography is so assured and kinetic that it doubles up as performance.  In one fight sequence, shot in a puddle on a rainy night, the camera makes a rapid circular motion, upending the frame, heightening the violent dance. These scenes underscore Kantara ’s most resounding roar: that a benevolent ruler is still a ruler – that rights robbed will be robbed back. This climactic frenzy also rings with circular irony, as it contradicts the reason sparking the inter-generational conflict: a dissatisfied man looking for inner peace.

Kantara (2022): Movie Review & Ending, Explained

Rishabh Shetty’s Kantara is one of the latest box office successes that is creating quite some brouhaha within the cinema-goer fraternity. With a whopping 9.6 rating on IMDb , the film turns out to be a bigger hit than KGF 2- Hombale Films’ last release. Normally, I do not wrangle myself in the politics of film ratings- I give my two cents to people who are willing to trust my judgment and walk away. But today was different- I not only spent 2.5 hours in the theater questioning the morals of the film critics and giants like IMDb but also felt sorry about legendary films like Tumbbad that went unnoticed.

Kantara Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis: 

The old folklore of the Punjarli from the coastal part of Karnataka forms the heart of Kantara. As per the myth, Punjarli (a word derived from boar) is the local demigod who looks after the tribals for their well-being and prosperity. He is also joined by his brother Guligu in the task. To honor the deity, the locals celebrate an annual event ‘Kola’ which is led by a priest. After the rituals, the demigod briefly possesses the priest to address the problems of the tribals and answer their questions.

This story originates in the 1800s when the King of the land left his house and family in search of peace, prosperity, and happiness. After a long quest, he eventually finds a small village in the heart of the forest with the idol of the demigod Punjarli. That’s where his search ends. Naturally, he wishes for God to follow him back to his kingdom so he could lead a happy life. But there is a catch- he can only make that happen in exchange for large acres of forest land to the tribals (to which he agrees).

Fast forward 100 years (the 1970s) from when the king gave his word, a descendent zamindar comes back to the village to claim the land that was given by his ancestors. The villagers protest against it and warn him of the wrath of the demigod that has been protecting them but to no avail. The dispute escalates till the Punjarli had to interfere and curse the zamindar to a painful death. Soon after the malediction, the demigod runs off to a forest and disappears, leaving his very young son right after him. 

The film then jumps to 1990. It centers around Shiva (the old demigod’s son), who has grown up to become a good-for-nothing yet the very loved son of the village. He hunts boars, eats them, and fights. Since the disappearance of the demigod, another villager (Guruva) has taken up the role to perform the rituals. It is expected of Shiva to take up the role but his disinterest and his reckless attitude get the better of him. Rather, he prefers spending most of his time hunting boars, eating them, drinking, and fighting.

At this point, we are also presented with the conflict- there is a new forest officer (Murali) who has been transferred to the area to prevent encroachment and preserve the forest. Since the villagers have little knowledge of the new laws, they are clearly agitated and Shiva takes this enmity up with the officer on behalf of the villagers. Additionally, there is also the zamindar (current descendent)- Rammpa, who is still looking to claim his land back. Subsequently, the narrative segues into a story about vengeance, anger (lots of it), unfunny series of jokes, and unexplainable reactions. The end, my friends, is as you all already know by now.

What Went Wrong With the Narrative

Character development of the protagonist.

Indian cinema has a history of romanticizing bratty male protagonists. It’s one character we love to hate and then eventually love. I can count ten on my fingertips now- Rocky from KGF, Vijay Deverakonda in Arjun Reddy, Shahid Kapoor in Kabir Singh, Aditya Kapoor in Ishaqzaade….you get the drift. But Shiva from Kantara couldn’t be them because he could never evoke that sense of empathy in his audience.

Shiva was always vagrant, rude, or bullish. We were never aware of his inner warmth. Even his love affair was very crude; it wasn’t soft or had any sense of longing that people in love usually feel for their beloved. Although the film greatly deals with the man v. nature subject, and the romantic subplot was just on the side, that doesn’t warrant such a hurried progression of romance that hardly feels coherent.

Unlike other conventional heroes – he wasn’t fighting for a real cause. He was just fighting for momentary issues that would arise every now and again. That trivialized his role. That is probably why I, as an audience, never saw him as the ‘hero’ that the filmmakers have touted him to be.

Suggestive Harassment Scenes Between the Lead Characters

Now I think this is thin ice that I am treading over, and I might get a lot of backlash about this. But it just feels about time that I should say it out loud. We need to stop showing borderline harassment scenes under the pretext of romance. A country-wide audience watches it, including impressionable young boys. Pulling a dupatta off a woman, grabbing her arm to pull her closer, pulling her hair back to kiss her neck….IS NOT COOL. Especially if the woman is unsure (or is shying away). More so, if the relationship is new most times, women can’t say no, and they generally ‘go with the flow’ only to pay for therapy later. It’s time we did away with this trope. 

No Motive for Secondary Characters

Some characters are just created to mislead the audience- like Murali (the Forest Officer). He has undue resentment. You will want to ask, what’s the cause of all this anger? There is none. There are hints of his enormous ego that might clash with his work, but that isn’t enough. To target a person and then go after him needs a better motive. The audience feels all the more cheated at the end when he abruptly decides to make up and becomes a good samaritan. How? I ask. And why? What is the trigger? Again, there is no answer.

Another deceptive character is the minister’s differently-abled son. I ask what the reason for creating a complicated character is. In one scene, the minister narrates his ill-doings to his son just because he can’t understand. But that could have been a monologue or a thought-to-self sequence. In short, there are a lot of unjustified distractions in the film that doesn’t serve any purpose in the narrative.

Uneven Pace & Weak Climax

The film starts at a breakneck pace- the first 15 min probably impart most of the information and set the stage correctly. Several jovial segments follow it like Shiva goofing around, Murali being a mean police officer, Shiva’s mother berating him, etc. Post-interval sequences are monotonous and tedious. At one point, you get sick of Shiva yelling and shouting and will question yourself when the climax comes.

At last, when the climax does come, it is weak and uninteresting. Shiva has to avenge the death of his cousin and fight for the safety of his land. A very long sequence of Shiva resurrecting to life in the form of a demigod becomes a mockery because of the emanating sounds from his mouth. And when it all does end, you certainly won’t feel the ‘wow’ factor. Also, lately, we have gotten into the habit of open-ended stories. I suggest we refrain from just falling into the trap just because it’s a trend.

What Worked for Kantara

Having said that, the film also wasn’t without its good and had its fine redeeming moments. Movies shot in southern India have a quintessential rustic yet beautiful vibe, and Kantara is no different. It’s shot against drop-dead gorgeous scenery and boats of a scintillating color palette. The jungle, waterfalls, and village speak to the camera like living beings.

The filmmakers have also done a fantastic job shooting the action sequences- they are so well-rehearsed and choreographed that they look poetic. Kudos to the team for shooting each fight scene differently. This one sequence is shot from the POV of Shiva when he is high on substance. That is especially brilliant. The color correction and post-production also deserve special mention for painting those vivid images on the screen that almost looked real.

Kantara Movie Ending, Explained: 

Not a lot remains to be explained after all that commenting. But I will just go ahead and summarize for anyone who wishes to read further. Shiva was unaware of his purpose in life unless he was made to realize it. He always saw nightmares of the boar, which was a form of the demigod, which in turn was his father. Maybe his father was trying to communicate to him through his dreams so he could realize his actual purpose and take his place as the righteous demigod for the village.

But after Shiva died, he was resurrected only so he could fulfill the cause of his being. The ring of fire where the demigod vanishes for the first time is always a recurring theme in the film, trying to remind Shiva of his actual duties. After he realizes it and leads the ‘Kola’ customs, he runs away to the same ring of fire to meet his predecessor. Since the demigods are supposed to serve the villagers and keep them safe, their purpose in life ends there. Another problem will lead to the birth of another demigod, and so on. 

Hence, when Shiva reaches the ring of fire, he comes face to face with Punjarli (the God), which could possibly be his father. And they both disappear because they have fulfilled their cause… until next time. The very last scene also shows Shiva’s son listening to the story. Maybe the riveting success of the film nudges the filmmakers for a sequel. 

Related Article: Jallikattu [2019] Review: How Masculinity Is Rendered Fragile With Its Volatility

Kantara (2022) Movie Links: Letterboxd Kantara (2022) Movie Cast: Rishab Shetty, Sapthami Gowda, Kishore Kumar G., Achyuth Kumar, Pramod Shetty

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Kantara Movie Review

Article by Satya B Published by GulteDesk --> Published on: 11:34 am, 8 October 2022

Director : Rishab Shetty Producer : Vijay Kiragandur Cast : Rishab Shetty, Kishore, Achyuth Kumar, Pramod Shetty, Sapthami Gowda Music : Ajaneesh Loknath Banner : Hombale Films Running time : 150 minutes Language : Kannada

Rishab Shetty is one of the finest actors in Kannada cinema, for the first time he transformed into a filmmaker and announced ‘Kantara’ with himself as the main lead. ‘Kantara’ has been recently released and let’s see how Rishab handled the craft behind the camera.

The story is set in a fictional village, where Siva (Rishab Shetty), son of a Bootha Kola Performer, is a famed Kambale Athlete, who works under the biggest landlord of the village, DevendraSuttoru (Acyuth Kumar). Siva is a rebel, who loves his village and his people. Since the village is nearer to a forest, people there are used to visiting the forest for animal hunting/ vegetables/ fruits, etc., so much, the forest itself has almost become a part of their life. Things start to loom when a newly appointed Forest officer Muralidharan (Kishore) visits the village and tries to stop the people from going to the forest, restricting their rituals, citing they are harming the forest, this causes a feud between Siva and Muralidharan, that slowly threats the entire village’s existence, What follows next is whether Siva able to save his village or not.

Writing and Direction :

One will wonder whether this is actually Rishab Shetty’s debut as a director because the kinda powerful subject he has written and the impeccable command he showcases concerning the direction craft he has makes one truly astonish, he directs the movie with no energy drop in proceedings, the drama was that tightly written and superbly paced.

The seamless blend of humor in this serious subject was fantastic, especially in the first half the humor gels so well. It’s been a while since I laughed at the comical moments in a movie this wholeheartedly.

It’s a culturally-rooted movie, the tagline ‘Dantha Kathe’ means the stories that are very popular and passed through generations but are not authentically proven, such stories exist across many states, and Rishab wanted to tell one such mythical story with Bhoota Kola folklore (a spirit worship ritual celebrated at Dakshina Kannada side), the 3rd act of ‘Kantara’ deals with that and it’s so phenomenal, it haunts you for the days, it reminds you of the power that Cinema as an Artform has, and to what extent it can impact the audience. Entire theatre overwhelms by some unfathomable emotion there, it’s almost a transcendental theatrical experience, that much divinely the movie moves you there. Rishab Shetty gave a damnn brilliant debut as a “Filmmaker” in Indian Cinema.

Actors Performances:

Rishab Shetty as ‘Siva’ was magnificent, don’t wonder if he wins a National award for his performance in this movie, with such fiery conviction he displays his act in this movie. Kishore as Forest officer was excellent, he conveys the seriousness extraordinarily on screen. Acyuth Kumar also did a great job in the Land Lord’s character. Prakash Thuminad in his given comical role ‘Raampa’ was just superb, every time he appears in the movie, theatres will surely burst into laughter. He was that hilarious. Heroine Sapthami Gowda looked beautiful and performed decently.

Technical Departments:

The movie was quite exquisite technically. Cinematography by Arvind S. Kashyap was marvelous. The village in which the movie is set looked beautiful thanks to his lush visuals. Music by B. AjneeshLokanath was tremendous, he brought great life to visuals with his score on the screen. Editing by K.M. Prakash and Pratheek Shetty was pitch-perfect for the most part, had they cut some repetitive scenes in the first half, the movie would’ve been even better.

Performances of the entire cast Engaging and interesting narrative Music

Thumbs Down:

Few repetitive and unnecessary scenes could’ve been avoided in the first half.

Final Word:

Overall, ‘Kantara’ is a masterpiece that shouldn’t be missed in theatres. Watch it for the divine vibes it evokes in you in its last hour.

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Kantara Movie Review: Rishab Shetty delivers a compelling and rooted film

Rating: ( 4 / 5).

Conflicts between man and nature have always provided enough fodder for our filmmakers to dole out one film after the other. Rishab Shetty’s Kantara , though dealing with the same concept, strives to be original and wins at it by staying rooted and realistic. Even in his previous films, Ricky and Sa.Hi.Pra Shaale , Rishab expressed his flair for telling stories of the coastal belt of Karnataka. With Kantara , he further goes deep into the woods to talk about safeguarding forests even while delivering a compelling revenge-action drama with a blend of crime and divinity.

Kantara is set in a fictional village of Dakshina Kannada, and begins in the 18th century when a king exchanges a piece of land with his people and moves on to find peace and happiness. Centuries later, the same land becomes a threat to the tribals of that area., but they believe their demigods, doubling up as their guardians, protect the village. The story shifts to the 90s, and we see the face-off between villagers who dwell in the forests, and the forest officer who wants to clear any encroachment in the area.

Director: Rishab Shetty

Cast: Rishab Shetty, Sapthami Gowda, Kishore, Achyuth Kumar

Shiva (Rishab Shetty) lives a carefree life with his friends, and is often at loggerheads with forest officer Murali (Kishore), who just wants to uphold the law of the land. We also have a politician Devendra Suttur (Achyuth Kumar), whose misdeeds become his identity. But there is a bigger evil at work, and Kantara is about Shiva’s struggle to bring justice to the people of the village. The film ends with an outstanding climax, which is definitely the USP of Kantara . There are multiple viewpoints in Kantara , and it is all wonderfully brought together by Rishab, who has written and directed the film too.

Rishab is only getting better with each film, and the backing of Hombale Films has allowed the filmmaker to make the movie more realistic. Even though it runs on the familiar territory of human-nature conflict, the chapters of Bhoota kola and Kambala make it unique. Every frame of the film is beautiful. DOP Aravind Kashyap lights up Kantara in vivid shades, and with able support from art director Dharani Gange Putra, gives Kantara a rather natural look.

Kantara also explores some serious issues like caste discrimination. While there is no separate comedy track, there are enough quirks in some of the characters to add to the fun quotient. The film brings in crisp narration, and extra credit should be given to the well-orchestrated action sequences. Composer Ajaneesh Loknath is marvellous in Kantara . While his folk melodies are soothing, the background score accentuates the narrative of Kantara .

Rishab, the actor, is outstanding as Shiva, and breathes life into this rather unconventional character. He has undergone a mass and intense transformation for the role, and the effects are evident. Rishab’s performance in the nail-biting climax will definitely make the audience cheer and applaud for him. Sapthami Gowda as forest guard Leela, who is also Shiva’s love interest, delivers a decent performance in Kantara . Kishore and Achyuth too give powerful performances, and it is a joy to watch the former’s intense ego clashes with Shiva. Manasi Sudhir, Pramod Shetty and Prakash Thuminad too are decent with their acts.

With Kantara , Rishab once again creates magic, both as a director and an actor, and delivers an entertainer with a strong social message, and an even stronger final act.  

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Kantara (2022)

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