Hombale Films’ Kantara A Legend: Chapter 1 (dubbed from the Kannada film of the same name; UA) is a prequel to Kantara (2022). It is a period mythological action drama. The story delves deeper into the origins of the mythological tradition and ancestral conflict seen in Kantara. It explores the roots of the Bhuta Kola ritual and the mythological lore and history (explored in the first Kantara) in pre-colonial coastal Karnataka. The drama has folklore, spirituality, emotions, action and the saga of man’s relationship with nature and the divine.
Berma (Rishab Shetty) lives in Kantara. The king and people of the neighbouring Bandarga have always exploited the poor people of Kantara. Berma decides that enough is enough. He first starts trading in the Bandarga market. By the by, Kanakavathi (Rukmini Vasanth), the sister of the king of Bandarga, falls in love with enemy Berma. However, there comes a stage when Kulshekar (Gulshan Devaiah), the king of Bandarga, declares war against Kantara by insulting its divine power. It is now a do-or-die mission for Berma to not only restore the respect of the God but also to free those people of Kantara, who are held captive in Bandarga.
Rishab Shetty’s story, written jointly with Anirudh Mahesh and Shaneel Gautham, is very exciting and engaging. Some portions are confusing but the overall impact of the story is very forceful. The confusion is partly because of the absolutely shoddy job of the subtitling. The subtitles of the Kannada dialogues and shlokas (in Hindi) are in such fine print that it is impossible to read them. Rishab Shetty’s screenplay, written jointly by him with Anirudh Mahesh and Shaneel Gautham, is superb as it keeps the audience involved. Not for a moment do the viewers get distracted, because there are so many turns and twists and also because the writers have maintained a fast pace of the drama. The scenes in which the tiger makes an appearance are absolutely phenomenal and would evoke rounds of applause in the cinemas. Similarly, the scenes in which Berma gets superpowers and then goes all out to eliminate the evil men are so thrilling that they will meet with thunderous applause. Climax is outstanding. Sanjay Upadhyay’s dialogues are wonderful.
Rishab Shetty lives the role of Berma. He is very endearing and breathes fire in action and stunt scenes. In the scenes in which he gets divine superpowers, his performance, when he screams his lungs out, is memorable. Rukmini Vasanth looks beautiful and acts well in the role of Kanakavathi. Gulshan Devaiah makes a fantastic impression as King Kulshekar. Jayaram lends lovely support as Rajshekar. Pramod Shetty makes his mark as Bhogendra. Prakash Thuminad is okay as Chenna. Deepak Rai Panaje has his moments as Sankappa. Rakesh Poojari, Hariprashanth M.G., Shaneel Gautham, Naveem Bondel and the others lend able support.
Rishab Shetty’s direction is extraordinary. His narration keeps the audience glued to their seats and their eyes fixated on the screens because they almost feel that they’ve become a part of the unfolding drama. B. Ajaneesh Loknath’s music is appealing. The songs further the drama and often gladden the hearts. Lyrics are appropriate. Kula Bhushan and Swaraj Shetty’s choreography is lovely. B. Ajaneesh Loknath’s background music is outstanding as it heightens the impact of the drama, action and tension. Arvind S. Kashyap’s cinematography is terrific. Action and stunt scenes have been choreographed — by Arjun Raj, Todor Lazarov, Ram-Laxman, Mahesh Mathew and Mithun Singh Rajput — with such finesse that they afford thrill of the ultimate kind. The climax action sequences deserve special mention. Banglan’s production designing, and Dharani Gangeputra’s art direction are of a fine order. Suresh Mallaiah’s editing is super-sharp. Dubbing is excellent.
On the whole, Kantara A Legend: Chapter 1 is a surefire hit. It may have started much slower than expected, but positive word of mouth will see collections picking up.
Released on 2-10-’25 at Inox (daily 9 shows) and other cinemas of Bombay thru AA Films. Publicity: excellent. Opening: so-so at places and fair at others. …….Also released all over. Opening was less than expected, considering that the film belongs to a much-loved franchise and also considering that today (October 2) is a festive (Dassera) holiday. However, collections are picking up as the day is progressing.