Mystical realism is a tricky genre to execute and can come across as contrived and inorganic unless it is handled by an astute filmmaker. Thankfully, actor-director Rishab Shetty is one such visionary auteur and he paints a vivid canvas in “Kantara”, delivering a spine-tingling cinematic masterpiece that revels in its rustic charm, use of folklore and native culture. Again combining forces with the irrepressible talents of Raj B Shetty, the duo conjure up another groundbreaking film after enthralling audiences everywhere with their magnum opus “Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana (2021)”.
Rakshit Shetty stars as “Shiva”, a headstrong “Kambala” (traditional Kannadiga bull racing) athlete and illegal hunter of forest animals, who also hails from a family with a long tradition of being “Bhootha Kola” (spirit dance) performers. Set in rural Karnataka in the 1990s, the film delves into his fractious relationship with a hot-headed cop (Kishore) as well as a greedy landlord (Achyuth Kumar) and how he embarks on a personal mission to save his village from evildoers.
With massive creative flourishes laced in mysticism, horror and deft humour, Rishab Shetty creates an immersive world that you get instantly sucked into. Prakash Thuminad and Deepak Rai Panaje are delightful as members of Shiva’s rambunctious crew of ne’er do well’s and deliver some of the most naturally humorous zingers and one-liners in the film. After a relatively light-hearted first half, the movie quickly switches gears in the second half, crescendoing in a fabulously over-the-top climax portion that will leave you stunned.
Kannada cinema continues to deliver some of the most path-breaking cinema, already dominating conversations among movie goer’s with its 2022 smash hits “KGF-2” and “777 Charlie”. By producing “Kantara”, Hombale films and Vijay Kiragandur, the same production house that made the KGF films continue to showcase that they can balance mass and class and deliver content suitable for all types of audiences. For a weekend where we were expecting to debate among Ponniyin Selvan and Vikram Vedha as to which would be the best movie at the box office, it is “Kantara” that has emerged as the winner. The film is a must-watch in theatres and is highly recommended for seeing this movie