Rishab Shetty ups the Kantara game

In 2022, when Rishab Shetty’s ‘Kantara’ hit the screens, the breath of fresh air wrapped in originality and ingenuity swept not just his home state Karnataka but the country at large like a storm. Three years later, as the prequel, once again an amalgamation of folklore, rituals and the ancient Indian belief system rooted in Kannada culture, makes its tryst with big screens, it’s a tornado. Only, it will sweep you off your feet for all the right reasons.

Call it a cinematic marvel, an ethereal experience, masterclass in how not to get a franchise wrong, ‘Kantara’s’ prequel reinforces how legends are born. Shetty, writer-director and lead actor, proves resoundingly how ‘Kantara’ was no fluke, only a flash of the multitalented genius that he is. Shetty ups the game in all aspects. Story-telling with writing support from Anirudh Mahesh and Shanil Guru, world building or treatment, he does not falter in any department.

Indeed, naysayers would argue that the plot meanders off in the first half of this 168-minute film. But, as we step back in time, enter the lush forests of Kantara, meet its saviour Berme (Shetty) and also the rulers of Bangra, Kantara’s enemies, he builds character arcs. Peppered with intrigue, jokes and entertainment, subplots have relevance in how the plot unfolds finally. Prakash Thuminad, as Chenna, providing comic relief in an otherwise intense narrative does not always work though, especially his adulterous love angle.

A blast from the past tells us how Berme was discovered from a deep abyss with a tiger guarding the newborn. The same tiger would appear again and the momentum would truly pick up from there on. But till then, there is some superlative action, humour and a hint of romance. In the Kadamba period, Bangra is ruled by King Rajashekara (Jayaram), who lost his father to the divine powers that protect Kantara’s people and its rich flora and fauna.

Gulshan Devaiah as the unhinged newly anointed king, Kulashekara, gets it all right. Only Devaiah can infuse many shades to an otherwise outright abominable character. And only he can make you laugh in a highly tragic scene. He kills and listens to music in the same breath. His sister, Princess Kanakavathi (the beautiful and impressive Rukmini Vasanth), is no damsel in distress either, even though our hero saves her in a few key moments.

The film belongs to Shetty, who rules and straddles this extravaganza like a colossus. One moment he is the earnest do-gooder for his tribal community and envisages a bright future for them. The next minute he is an impish braveheart who takes on dozens and dozens of mighty men. However, both he and the film transcend to another level when his divine energy is unleashed.

‘Kantara’s’ spiritual core makes it rise above all other films of similar scale. Shetty, himself a Yakshgana artist who also trained in Kalaripayattu for the part, does not do an encore of dancing skills showcased in the first outing. Rather, he taps into the same energy and good lord, is that infectious! You feel goosebumps at the divine manifestation which is at once religious yet far more than sheer ritualistic religiosity; faith at its best without ever becoming didactic.

The many avatars of the supreme, be it Lord Shiva or Chamundi goddess, you can only bow with sheer reverential wonder. If the climax, knows the maker in Shetty, matters the most, here he packs more than one climactic scene and outdoes himself again and again. The twisted surprise in the grand finale we never see coming and is scintillatingly spell-binding.

A perfect festival outing, we don’t see many flaws, except perhaps certain words in the Hindi version seem out of place in this out-of-this-world realm. The subtitles in certain sequences are in such a small font that it’s impossible to read. But in an experiential film where emotions are anyway conveyed through body, face and action, nothing can dilute the soulful cinematic experience.

Every now and then, the period film makes a pertinent contemporary statement. Inequality, greed, cruelty, rebellion have been touched before. But here we are enraptured by how he weaves in the fact that dark forces can usurp religious practices in their bid to perpetuate terror.

Back in time Shetty may have professed that there is no formula to making a pan-Indian film, but he sure has mastered how to add the right touches. ‘Kantara’ in Hindi has our very own Diljit Bhaji rendering the rousing war anthem, ‘Rebel’. The film truly roars at this point. Musical score by Ajaneesh Loknath anyway remains the highlight. Cinematography by Arvind S Kashyap is as mind-blowing as other elements like the sharp editing by Suresh Mallaiah.

If the spiritual fervour of the Diwali season hasn’t got to you, ‘Kantara’ will surely put you in the mood. If you care to know how our visual effects can match those of big-ticket Hollywood productions, yet tell a power-packed mythical story grounded in our wisdom, dare you miss this!