Language : Kannada
Release date: 30 September 2022
Starring: Rishab shetty,y,Sapthami gowda,kishore
Directed by: Rishab shetty
Produced by: Hombale films
Music by: B Ajaneesh loknath
Cinematography :Aravind s kashyap
Edited by :K M Prakash, Pratheek shetty
Kantara is a Kannada-language action thriller film. written and directed by Rishab Shetty, and produced by Vijay Kiragandur,under Hombale Films. The film stars Shetty as a Kambala champion, who comes to loggerheads with an upright DRFO officer, Murali (Kishore). Achyuth Kumar and Sapthami Gowda feature in supporting roles.
What works
How to present a predictable story as a great movie? That is Kantara!!!
The subject being forest encroachment and caste discrimination in Dakshina Karnataka tribes is surprisingly not the entire plot, which felt like a breath of fresh air in Sandalwood. The mythical aspect of the story is treated religiously focusing on cultural conditioning rather than details, which makes it realistic yet sensitive.
Rishabh Shetty, the director and protagonist of the film, brings a very local myth to a global audience with a very local production. Through the film, the actor and director Rishabh Shetty and the Tulunadu art form of ‘Bhutakola‘ are also strongly marked and the cruel injustice in the land power sale is strongly marked. Their usual style of mixing myth with contemporary subject matter is repeated here. The soul of the film can be said to be the scenes that show the evolution of the ‘Raw Rustic’ as the hero.
Every scene, performance and music in the film demands a close theatrical view. And the symbolic use of traditional art forms like Bhuthakola and Yakshaganam in the film calls for such a view. From the beginning to the end, this movie reminds us that the viewing experience is not a word that goes around just saying and writing. Rishab Shettyβs persistence to glamorize the native culture of Kambala and Bhuthakola is evident in each of his scenes through aesthetics, lights, backgrounds and dialogues. As a performer, he captivates you with elaborate action sequences and passionate deliveries. His ability to switch from βThe Saviorβ to a βReckless Thugβ is subtle and enchanting. The supporting actors including Achyuth, Pramod, Kishore and Manasi provide noteworthy performances with the limited screen time they get as well.
The climax is the most anticipated part of the film unveiling the Bhootha within Shiva in all its grandeur. Overlooking the familiar storytelling and the sneaky idolization, Kantara is a cinematic experience which leaves you in a trance by the end of it.
What not works
Despite the film’s starkly beautiful production, what felt stone-cold were the objectified love scenes and some comic scenes. Those scenes felt like a counterpoint to the film’s overall political convictions and the beauty of its construction. It can be said that the love scenes broke the fun of the movie. Such love scenes are common in Kannada cinema, and the ‘Shetty trio‘ has changed such scenes in cinema. When such scenes are created by Rishab shetty, naturally the viewer may not find the scenes interestingβ¦
Bottomline
An intense form of cinematic expression,that demands a theatrical watch!!!
