If there is one movie you absolutely shouldn’t watch this year, that is Kantaras, A melting pot of genres, Kannada film is a cinematic experience that is difficult to convey in words. Rishabh Shetty, who acted, wrote and directed Kantara, Has managed to stitch together an enthralling story rooted in Dakshina Kannada.
Longest – After SS Rajamouli’s stellar performance bahubaliThe general belief has been that a pan-India film is packed with shockingly high budgets. but movies like thiruchitambalam, The Kashmir Files, Kartikeya 2, Vikrant Rona, And Sita Ramami (All released in 2022) – with a budget of less than 100 crores – have managed to find audiences beyond the language in which they were made. Kantaras Redefining the tropes of a pan-India film, this lot can easily be crowned.
The ‘RRR’ trio of the Kannada film industry – Rishabh Shetty, Rakshit Shetty, and Raj B Shetty – are on a mission to revamp the cinematic language by creating a unique brand of films that are centered on folklore and rooted in native ethos including Yakshagana. Paddana, Bhoot Kola, Daivardhane, Nagradhane and Kambala.
Read also: Netflix’s Mismatch 2 is finally India’s answer to Gen Z content from mental health to love
‘Regional is more universal’
Kantaras Translated as ‘mysterious forest’, and this is where the 149-minute-long plot of the belief system of generations of natives in the coastal region is based. The villager Kadubettu Shiva (Rishabh) is at the center of the story. He is the son of a man who used to perform Bhoot Kola, a ritual practiced in coastal Karnataka. For a short time, the artist embodies the spirit of daiva (a deity), a bridge between nature and humans. But during one such ceremony, Shiva’s father mysteriously disappears after a quarrel with a feudal landlord who insisted on getting back the land given to a tribal community by his ancestors.
After the disappearance of his father, Shiva grew further and further away from his lineage. He’s not the quintessential urban hero. Like most of the characters in the film, his personality is surrounded by shades of grey. Despite being one of the major central figures Kantarashe is one”representative of a section of youth“Those who are not the best-behaved or awake.
The story takes place face-to-face with Shiva and Deputy Range Forest Officer Murali (Kishore Kumar ji) fighting for the indigenous ethos and conservation and protection of the environment. In parallel, Dhani (played by the immaculate Achyut Kumar) plays a sociable village headman who looks generous on the face, but his pride rooted in casteism comes to the fore again and again. From here, the story is carefully woven with stories of legends, customs and beliefs rooted in their native cultural language.
The film is a satisfying amalgamation of folklore and Spices, The writing, choreography, cinematography (by Arvind S Kashyap) and music by B Ajneesh Loknath are exceptional, to say the least, and yet on the ground. But the best part of the film is the last 15 minutes, which is no less than a cinematic masterpiece. This film is made for theatres. Loknath’s throbbing background music, merging with Kashyap’s cinematography with Rishabh’s magnetic screen presence and skillful direction, is a sight to behold. In another sequence, Rishabh participates in Kambala, a race in which the rider sits on top of buffaloes in a muddy field. His commitment towards the character on screen and off screen is highly commendable.
In a recent interview with film critic Anupama Chopra, Rishabh Told, “Regional is more universal”. I couldn’t agree more.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)