Star Cast: Rishab Shetty, Rukmini Vasanth, Jayaram, Gulshan Devaiah, and others
Director: Rishab Shetty
What’s Good: The second half of the film coming together like magic with a climax setting a benchmark for this decade!
What’s Bad: Clearly a scattered and gimmicky first half!
Loo Break: Strictly in the interval
Watch or Not?: Definitely Yes, for Rishab Shetty and Rukmini Vasanth’s brilliant acts!
Language: Kannada, dubbed in Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu, and Tamil
Available On: Theatrical release
Runtime: 2 hour and 45 minutes
User Rating:
There are movies that surprise you all of a sudden with a 360-degree turn. So much so that it is impossible to move out of the Universe they have created, and something of the same sort happened when I watched Kantara Chapter 1. The much-awaited prequel for Kantara will win you over in its climax, after losing you as an audience in the first half. Trust me; it is impossible to win back someone’s attention after they start losing interest in you!
But Kantara’s prequel was all prepared and confident, and they knew what they were doing and who their target audience was. Rishab Shetty and his team have hit the bull’s eye when it comes to promising class content and even deliver it with full confidence and utmost sincerity!
Kantara Chapter 1 starts from the same point where the first film started – Shiva looking at his father disappear. Then the story straight dives into the tale of Kantara, the disappearance of Shiva’s father, his tribe, the story, and the myth of Kantara – the Brahmrakshas. The story starts forming its layers one by one in the first half, only to unfold them in the second half!
Kantara: Chapter 1 Movie Review: Script Analysis
Rishab Shetty wins with the story of Kantara Chapter 1. While the first part had traces of what it means to be a part of the tribe, the prequel, very intricately, builds the world, introduces you to the tribe, its deities, its customs, rituals, and main men. The story is a simple good vs evil you have seen a million times. In fact, the entire world is fighting good vs evil, be it on a personal level or a broader level! There is a Raja with two children – the good one, Kanakvati, played by Rukmini Vasanth, and the bad one, Kulshekhar, played by Gulshan Devaiah!
The King Vijayendra, played by the equally talented Jayaram, like any other societal norm, trusts the evil son and coronates him as the next king, and all hell breaks loose when the son decides to celebrate in the forests of Kantara, a forbidden area, which is ‘Ishwar Ka Madhuban’ guarded by a Brahma Rakshas. No one has entered the forbidden land for decades, and obviously, the harmony gets disrupted when Kulshekhar decides to peek into the forest of Kantara!
On the other hand, there is Berme – the leader of the tribe residing around the forest of Kantara. He makes sure that his tribe and the Daivas are protected until the Daivas chose him to save the forests of Kantara from the villains, another tribe that cheated and forced themselves into the forest. Not getting much into details here, because you would be bored reading it and morever you’ll be confused, unless you see it.
But here’s the basic math keeping it simple – there is one good tribe, there is one bad tribe and then there is the worst – the evil of them all – the royal throne, ruled by Kulshekhara.
Kantara: Chapter 1 Movie Review: Star Performance
Rishab Shetty and Rukmini Vasanth rule this prequel hands down. They do not leave a single dull moment, and once the story reaches the climax, you will see why these guys are gaining pan-India love and affection! They set a benchmark for theatrics, transforming into beasts who rule each and every frame! Rishab and Rukimini do not just act; they simply transform into surreal mythological characters, and you just bow down to such class acts because it takes a lot of sincerity and hard work to do what they did in the last 15 minutes of the film, which is an understatement for brilliance!
The other two lead characters – Jayaram playing the King, Vijayashekhar, and Gulshan Devaiah, playing the son, Kulshekhar do justice to their parts, but honestly, it all gets overshadowed by Rishab and Rukmini’s cinematic brilliance!
Kantara: Chapter 1 Movie Review: Direction, Music
Kantara Chapter 1 is heavy mythology, intense storytelling, and a work of art, but perhaps not a crowd-pleaser. If the film becomes a classic and, in fact, if this turns monstrous, then it will be solely due to Rishab Shetty‘s visionary direction and career-defining performance. His artistic ambition creates a world that I cannot believe could have existed. But he makes sure that I believe in this world, and reside there with him while he leads me to the dense forests of Kantara and digs its history in a folklore that I actually believe could hold some truth! What a genius!
The music, which somehow did not work in the first half, magically favors the film in the second half! Actually, the entire second half of the film comes together like magic!
My only problem with the film is the Hindi dubbing. When we cater to a pan-India audience, the only thing that should never be an issue is the language barrier. I mean, you just have one job – to satisfy and cater to the Hindi-speaking audience. Research! That is not how North Indians talk, neither in that constant, monotonous baritone that each and every character has. It is disappointing to get disconnected when we have brilliant content on-screen! If the producers and the creatives of the film read this, please, this is a sincere request from a North Indian fan – please find the correct voices for such grand characters!
Kantara: Chapter 1 Movie Review: The Last Word
Rishab Shetty with Kantara Chapter 1 proves that the success of Kantara was no fluke – he is a visionary who completely understands the cultural and spiritual core of his story. In fact, I am very intrigued by how Rukmini Vasanth would grab more attention with the second part – Kantara Chapter 2 – the sequel, which would take the tale forward. Because now, I am very interested in knowing the nits and grits of this tribe led by Shiva’s father! And as his little son asks some unanswered questions, I think their answers might be better than the first two parts!
Kantara Chapter 1 has my heart due to its second half, turning the entire film into a magic. And I guess, any magical trick, in the beginning, might keep you a little disinterested, till it finally takes the wand and Alhomora – opening the door to a magical world! That is how you make Universes!
4 stars! An entire one star for that brilliant climax! Such sheer brilliance of theatrics and storytelling coming together! Uff, what a climax!
Kantara: Chapter 1 Trailer
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