The audience’s wait is over. Rishab Shetty’s much-awaited film, Kantara Chapter 1, is now in theaters. This film is a prequel to the 2022 film Kantara, set during the reign of the Kadambas of Banavasi. Writer-director and actor Rishab Shetty’s film, Kantara, is a Kannada-language action thriller that has been released in Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi.
Story
The film begins with the ruthless king of the Kadamba dynasty, who wants to make every land and water his property. Human life is of no value to him. He attacks everywhere and wants to rule over everything.
One day, he captures an old man fishing on the seashore. When precious items fall from the old man’s bag, the king becomes even more greedy and sets out to find their true origin. This search leads him to Kantara, a place where people live in harmony with nature. But here, he encounters a mysterious and divine force that protects Kantara.
Many years later, the story takes us to the kingdom of Bhangra, where King Vijayendra (Jayaram) rules. His son, Kulasekhar (Gulshan Devaiah), is appointed the new king, and his daughter, Kanakavati (Rukmini Vasanth), is given the responsibility of the treasure.
Meanwhile, Kantara’s leader, Berme (Rishabh Shetty), strives to improve his village. But when the Kantara people arrive in Bhangra, the situation escalates into a major conflict over land ownership.
Acting
Rishabh Shetty’s character, Berme, is the heart of the film. His performance, especially Guliga’s scream, is so powerful that it sends chills down the spine. Rukmini Vasanth’s Kanakavati is a strong and memorable character. She has done a good job. Jayaram brings depth to the story with his serious performance. Gulshan Devaiah is a natural as the incompetent king.
Writing and Direction
In addition to acting, Rishabh Shetty was also responsible for writing and directing Kantara Chapter 1. As a director, Rishabh has captured the era beautifully on screen. Whether it’s the film’s locations and sets, the costumes, the action, or the scenes related to religion, faith, and devotion, everything has been captured well on screen, but as a writer, the film has been a bit weak this time. The film is overly long, with many scenes being overly long. An attempt to inject entertainment into the first half feels like a mere attempt at a showdown. It’s true that the film doesn’t just depict the battle between rich and poor, but also highlights the internal conflict between tribes and the battle between good and evil.
Arvind S. Kashyap’s cinematography is good. The film’s background music enhances many scenes. The visual effects are excellent, although the graphics seem a bit weak in some places and the artist’s execution is uneven. The film may seem loud in some places.
Also Read: Kantara Chapter 1: Rishab Shetty’s Iconic Dialogues That Will Give You Chills
Overall
It’s not easy to present folklore, myths, and faith in a modern cinematic language, but Rishab Shetty has done a good job. The film “Kantara Chapter 1” forces you to reflect on the relationship between power, land, humans, and nature. The first “Kantara” slowly gripped audiences’ hearts and minds like a drug and became a memorable film, so expectations for its second installment were high. However, in my opinion, this film isn’t as impressive as we were hoping for. 3 stars for the film.
