Kantara: 5 Reasons Why You Should Not Miss The Kannada Film

Since its release, the Kannada film, Kantara, has been making headlines almost every day by breaking box office records and the netizens going gaga over the film.

Directed by Rishab Shetty and another Hombale Films production, the action thriller film Kantara features Shetty himself as a Kambala champion, who disagrees with an honest DRFO officer, Murali (played by Kishore). The film has already crossed ₹100 crores and has become one of the highest grossing Kannada films. The film has also crossed films like RRR and K. G. F. Chapter 2 in becoming the highest rated IMDb film.

With the film’s rising popularity, we bring you five reasons why you should not miss out on watching the sixth highest grossing Kannada film of all time, Kantara, starting with the critically acclaimed and widely praised performances of the actors in the film.

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Backdrop of Kantara

The story traces back to 1847 when a king of a hamlet in the coastal region of Karnataka had donated a plot of land to the locals in exchange of an idol of Panjuri, which the locals worshipped, for long lasting happiness and peace. During this, the spirits in the forest told the king that if he ever wanted this piece of land back then the gods wouldn’t forgive him. Then more than 120 years later, in 1970, unaware of this warning, a descendant of the king wants the land back. He meets a local dancer who is possessed by the deity and asks for the land which makes the dancer angry and he runs and enters the forest. A few days after which, the descendant dies in a mysterious way.

Blend of Past and Present

The way the past and present blends together makes the storytelling interesting, and worth a watch. Cut to 1990, another descendant of the king wants the land back again. Shiva (played by Shetty), the winner of the buffalo-running game Kambala, is given the task of protecting and saving the land as it was his father who had disappeared into the forest back then after being possessed by the deity.

Combination of Dance & Action

Beginning with an explosive bull-racing game, Kambala, Kantara sets the tone of the film. The action sequences are crafted superbly, especially with its lead Shetty nailing the slow-motion bull race. Vikram More, the stunt choreographer of the film, combines action sequences with classical dance forms making this one of the biggest reasons for the film to stand out. Arvind Kashyap’s cinematography has also received praises from all over for capturing everything perfectly.

The performance of the yearly ritual devotion of the deity, Bhoot Kola, during which the first descendant meets the villager who is possessed by the deity, receives a lot of screen time and the background tune captures the essence of the culture beautifully.

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Caste Politics

Delving deeper into the existing ingrained caste politics of the southern part of Karnataka, the film features the second descendant who is an upper caste landlord who takes over the tribals’ land depriving them of their rights. The film also establishes that tribal traditions have every right to thrive and prosper.

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