Kantara: Chapter 1 Review

Kannada film, Kantara(2022), was made on a modest budget of around fifteen crores and went on to collect around four hundred and fifty crores gross in theatres worldwide. After the phenomenal success of the film, Rishab Shetty, the hero, director and writer, became a PAN India star and is now doing multiple films in Telugu and Hindi. The production house, Hombale Films, which produced, Kantara, teamed up yet again with Rishab Shetty, for a prequel to the first part of the ‘Kantara’ franchise. Probably due to the immense confidence in the film’s output, the team stayed away from extensive promotions. They released a trailer, a song and a few press meets in the last few days before the release. After promising a one-of-a-kind adventurous devotional drama with its trailer, the film was released in the theatres today. Is the prequel, Kantara: Chapter 1, as engaging as the first part of the franchise? Did the hero, director and writer, Rishab Shetty, come up with a gripping devotional action drama? Did the production house, Hombale Films, score yet another blockbuster, after the humongous success of Mahavatar Narsimha? Did the heroine, Rukmini Vasanth, score a hit after three back-to-back(i.e. Appudo Ippudo Eppudo, Ace & Madharaasi) not-so-successful films? More importantly, do the makers of the ‘Kantara’ universe have enough content to make it a highly successful multi-part movie franchise? Let’s figure it out with a detailed analysis.

What is it about?

What happens when anyone tries to enter into ‘Lord Eshwara’s Garden of bloom’ in Kantara, a deeply dense area in a forest in Karnataka during the Kadamba dynasty? How is the ‘Guardian of Kantara’ Aka Berme(Rishab Shetty) related to Lord Eshwara? Why do Rajasekhara(Jayaram) warn his son(Gulshan Devaiah), daughter(Rukmini Vasanth) and everyone in his kingdom, not to step into the land of Kantara? What happens when anyone tries to create unrest in the sacred land of Kantara? Who are Ganas and how do they protect the land and people? What are the various avatars of Guligas? Forms the story of the Kantara: Chapter 1.

Performances:

Rishab Shetty is the writer, the director and the protagonist of the film and he excelled in all three departments. He delivered a phenomenal performance throughout the film and is sure to win a lot of awards as ‘Best Actor in a lead role’ for his performance in the film. His performance in the Guliga transformation block from one avatar to another is outstanding to say the least.

Rukmini Vasanth got a very good author-backed role and she utilised it very well. She delivered a very good performance. Especially, her performance in the second half is sure to earn her a lot of accolades. Malayalam actor, Jayaram, in the role of Rajasekhara, the king Bangra kingdom, made his experience count with a very commendable performance. Gulshan Devaiah in the role of Kulashekara, did well but he seemed to be miscast. Someone else with a ferocious and ruthless appearance, would have been an apt choice for the role.

Technicalities:

Barring the editing issues in comedy episodes, the film exudes technical brilliance in each and every frame right from the word go up until the climax. The music, the cinematography, the production design, the action choreography, the art design, the visual effects and every other technical department gave their best output to deliver a cinematic visual spectacle on screen. The team deserves a special mention for choosing to shoot the film in real locations by defying all the logistical challenges. The production house, Hombale Films, seems to have spent a lot of money to bring Rishab Shetty’s vision to the screen in all its glory.

Arvind S. Kashyap’s cinematography is breathtaking. The shot division at most places was extraordinary to say the least. B. Ajaneesh Loknath with a terrific background score and songs elevated the soul of the film to the next level. Editing by K. M. Prakash & Shobith Shetty is good in most parts but both editors would have taken a bit more care during the first half. The art and production design teams along with the visual effects team seem to have worked hand in hand with perfect sync to bring life to the vision of Rishab Shetty.

Positives:

1.⁠ ⁠Pre-Interval To Climax
2.⁠ ⁠Rishab Shetty’s Performance
3.⁠ ⁠Writing & Direction
4.⁠ ⁠Technical Brilliance
5.⁠ ⁠Rukmini Vasanth’s Character Arc
6.⁠ ⁠Brilliantly Conceived Action Episodes

Negatives:

1.⁠ ⁠Pace Issues In The First Half
2.⁠ ⁠Unnecessary Comedy Episodes

Analysis:

When Kantara was released in Telugu in 2022, people who went to watch the film without any expectations and without much idea about the backdrop of the film, were pleasantly surprised with the way the coastal Karnataka folklore was blended with the spirit possession rituals and devotional beliefs. Rightly so, it worked very well with almost all sections of people giving a big thumbs-up to Rishab Shetty’s vision as writer and director and his amazing performance as an actor. When the prequel to Kantara was announced and when the trailer of the film was released, it appeared that the makers had made the film just to cash in on the brand value of ‘Kantara’ without retaining the soul of the film. But, everyone who thought so, was wrong. The writer and the director, Rishab Shetty, came up with a very gripping action-adventure drama with the right dose of devotional elements.

Kantara (2022) was a devotional drama at heart which was well packaged with action. And, the prequel, Kantara: Chapter 1, is an out-and-out action-adventure film with devotional drama. Right from the pre-interval sequence up until the climax, what we witness on screen is breathtaking action-adventure sequences one after another. There are at least six to seven blocks that worked significantly in favour of the film. The chariot action sequence, Berme’s face-off sequence with the tiger, a superbly envisioned and executed pre-interval sequence, the Guliga transformation block from one avatar to another, Lord Eshwara’s idol prathistapana episode at Bangra kingdom, the execution of the war episode and the fifteen minute climax episode – All above mentioned episodes were made breathtakingly and give an out of the world experience to the audience. Also, the unexpected twist in the second half pleasantly surprises. It is no exaggeration to say that it is the best twist among all the indian movies that have been released this year.

The dialogue ‘Thanu Vachhindi…Daiva Samsthapanartham Kadu…Dharma Samsthapanartham!!’, sums up the story of the film. Rishab Shetty took the story of a guardian who takes birth and re-establishes dharma, whenever evil and gloom surround the world. The intent to give a proper action-adventure film with a devotional element as a backdrop is very clear right from the very first sequence and that intent was ably supported by gripping writing, extraordinary direction and superb technical values. It is not an easy film to shoot. The majority of the film was shot in dense forests and hilly areas. The team should be appreciated for all the effort that was put into shooting in very risky locations. Especially, the chariot action sequence that was shot in a hilly area is a very risky one but it was executed brilliantly.

On the flipside, the film took some time to build the drama and to establish the conflict point during the first half. It also suffers from pace issues during the first half, which most period drama films face. A few sequences involving Rukmini Vasanth, particularly the romantic sequences, appeared out of place during the first half but we get to know the significance of those sequences in the second half. However, the attempt to generate comedy using multiple characters and multiple sequences in the first half did not work out at all and appeared unnecessary. A few of these comedy episodes in fact test the patience and looked dragged. Better care while editing the comedy portions would have made the film even better. Gulshan Devaiah in the role of an antagonist performed well but an actor with a ferocious and ruthless appearance would have made the brutal killing episode in the land of Kantara, in the second half even better. Also, people who step into the theatre expecting a complete devotional drama may not be satisfied fully because the film is not exactly a devotional drama like the first film in the franchise but an action-adventure film with the right dose of devotional elements.

Overall, Kantara: Chapter 1, has a few issues like unnecessary attempts to include comedy and slow pace at times in the first half. But, quite a few brilliantly executed episodes right from the pre-interval sequence up until the climax, along with an extraordinary performance by Rishab Shetty and a commendable performance by Rukmini Vasanth, particularly in the second half, made the film a very good watch in theatres. It is a film that is made to be experienced on a big screen along with friends and family. In all likelihood, the film is going to do very well at the box office with a very long run in theatres and in all probability, going to get a lot of awards for Rishab Shetty.

Bottom-line: Divine Blockbuster

Rating: 3/5

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