Let me use another ‘F’ word: Fabulous!
Wait a moment: this last adjective does not encompass the entire experience. It is for Rishab Shetty’s epic direction and his incredibly-nuanced and potent performance as Berme.
It also stands for almost the entire technical side: his wife Pragathi Shetty’s costumes, the make-up department, the action by Arjun Raj, Todor Lazarov (Juji), Ram-Laxman, Mahesh Mathew and Mithun Singh Rajput, the production design by Dharan, the splendiferous cinematography by Arvind S. Kashyap, the magnificent VFX and the real locations chosen.
Kantara: The Legend Chapter 1 is a prequel to the 2022 Kantara, whose story extended from 1847 to current times. This one is set around the 4th century. Berme lives in a jungle among villagers who worship the deities of the jungle. The kingdom of Bangra is located nearby and it is now ruled by Rajashekhar (Jayaram). As a child, Rajashekhar has seen his father killed by the divine power when he tried to usurp the land of the jungle residents.
He has thus forbidden his army to enter that terrain, but when he passes on his royal mantle to his son Kulshekhar (Gulshan Devaiah), he flouts this and takes his army to the forest. But the army senses the presence of a force and many are killed, while the rest escape. In return, Berme and his men enter the kingdom and the results for the king’s men and people are disastrous.
Alongside, Berme meets Kulshekhar’s sister Kanakavathi (Rukmini Vasanth) and they come close to each other gradually. Kulshekhar resents this. Berme also comes to a barter arrangement with the people of Bangara. But there are wheels within wheels and conspiracies galore. Towards the climax, we see where the first story (the 2022 film) began with the Bhoota Kola (a traditional dance) performer, who is possessed by the deity Painjurli, coming in and how the fiery daiva Guliga can possess Shiva, while Lord Vishnu’s boar incarnation also comes in as a protector of good and destroyer of evil.
Mysticism, nature, human greed and follies and religion mix in this heady tale that is decidedly bigger than Kantara (like all sequels of hit movies). But there are some avoidable flaws that were missing in the earlier film because of the intentional bigness. For one, Rishab packs the film with too much of gloss and a slackening of pace on many an occasion.
The action is graphic and often brutal—I remember kids loving the first film and the intensity of bloodletting here is too high. The Hindi subtitles that are seen when the characters speak in Kannada are too small to be quickly read. The BGM (B. Ajaneesh Loknath) is on the louder side and the editing (Suresh Mallaiah) tends to be slack at many junctures.
Rukmini Vasanth is effective as Kanakavathi. Gulshan Devaiah, sadly, cannot rise (or was not allowed) to go beyond his normal villainy. Jayaram as Rajshekhar delivers. Pramod Shetty as Bhogendra, Kulashekara’s minister makes a mark. The rest are adequate.
Watch Kantara: A Legend: Chapter 1 for its cinematic grandeur and spectacle and the above-mentioned fabulous elements in it. A sequel must be better as well as bigger, and this one, though actually a prequel, has enough plus points to make it, in the final analysis, equally good. When it could have been better!
Rating: ***1/2
Hombale Films’ Kantara: A Legend Chapter 1 Produced by: Vijay Kiragandur & Chaluve Gowda Directed by: Rishab Shetty Written by: Rishab Shetty, Anirudh Mahesh & Shanil Gowtham Music: B. Ajaneesh Loknath Starring: Rishab Shetty, Rukmini Vasanth, Gulshan Devaiah, Jayaram, Pramod Shetty, Prakash Thuminad & others
