Kantara - 2022

Introduction 

Kantara is a Kannada language action thriller movie that hit the screens in 2022. The movie brings to life the battle between man and nature and how greed can destroy everything. One could say that Kantara, or the Mystical Forest, as the name translates to in Kannada, is a character in the film as it revolves around the secrets that the forest holds and how man's greed can wreak havoc on his life and everything he loves if he were to.

Table of Contents

• Details

• Story

• Release

• Reviews and Ratings

• Cast

• Crew

• Character Analysis

• Songs

• Controversy

• Box Office Collection

• Awards

• Interesting Facts

• Conclusion

Details

Story

Kantara begins as a period film set in the 1800s and traces the journey of a king who gifts the forest land to the local villagers in exchange for the diety they have been worshipping over several generations. He makes a pact that the land will forever belong to the tribe, and anyone who tries to change this would face the wrath of their god.

However, over the decades, this tale comes to be seen as an urban legend, and in the 1990s, a forest officer tries to convert this land into a forest reserve. After being challenged by a local athlete and the son of the missing Bhoota Kola performer, the struggle intensifies. He is backed by the king's successor, the village landlord Devendra Suttooru, and the entire village. The battle to keep the forest from becoming a reserved area invokes supernatural forces protecting the region. The movie ends with Shiva embracing his role as a Bhoota Kola performer, who, in the end, runs and disappears into the forest after protecting his land and tribe. 

Release

Kantara hit the screens on 30th September 2022 and went on to become one of the most successful and talked about movies of the year. With a massive box office collection of over 400 crores, this movie, produced by Hombale Films and distributed by KRG Studios, became a trending topic across the nation.

The hit film is now streaming on two popular OTT platforms: Netflix and Amazon Prime. 

Reviews

IMDB Rating: 8.3/10

Rotten Tomatoes: 8/10

In his Golden Globe speech for Parasite, South Korean Director Bong Joon says that once the audience looks past the one-inch barrier of subtitles, a whole new world of cinema exists for one to explore. Kantara, one of the highest grosser in the Kannada film industry, reiterates this. It is proof that work done with passion and determination strikes a chord with the audience. Director, writer, and actor Rishab Shetty takes a concept local to the hamlets of Karnataka and presents it on a global platter with his passion and understanding of filmmaking. Banking on the concept of man vs. nature and good vs. evil, Kantara carefully captures the raw essence of human emotions and culture, making it universally appealing.

Cast

Crew

· Director - Rishab Shetty

· Producer - Vijay Kiragandu

· Cinematographer - Arvind S. Kashyap

· Music Director - B. Ajaneesh Loknath

· Lyricist - Pramod Maravanthe

· Editors - K. M. Prakash & Pratheek Shetty

Character Analysis

Shiva

Shiva, the protagonist, played by Rishab Shetty, is a village simpleton. He brings to life the role of a young boy who rises from a carefree athlete to a Bhoota Kola performer, carrying forward the legacy of his father's (also played by Rishab Shetty) profession. 

Murali

As the forest officer Murali, played by Kishore, wants to transform the forest into a reserved area and uphold the laws of the land. The upright cop that he is, he tries to follow the orders of the government to convert the forest into a reserved area. As someone who plays by the rules and the law of the land, he faces the wrath of the people of the Kaadubettu village and Shiva while erecting the fence around the forest area.

Leela

Leela, a forest guard played by Sapthami Gowda, falls in love with the protagonist Shiva. She is an embodiment of the girl next door. As the chirpy and passionate forest guard who is torn between her love interest and work, Leela leaves a mark. 

Devendra Suttooru

Achyuth Kumar essays the role of Devendra Suttooru, the landlord of the village and the living successor of the king who donated the forest land to the villagers. The greedy atheist who commands the respect of the entire village is also a crime lord and leaves no stone unturned while trying to usurp the forest land. 

Songs

Behind The Scenes

 Running with The Bulls

One of the most adrenaline-rushing moments in this movie is the one where the protagonist is running with two bulls in tow, matching their speed. While it induces goosebumps in the audience, most might think it was shot on a green mat. However, the movie's makers released a behind-the-scenes video of this shot where one can see the effort the actors put into creating it. It was also revealed that the actors were injured during the filming of this scene. However, that did not deter them from giving it their fullest.

Rehearsing to Perfection

Apparently, the bull shot was rehearsed over 60 to 70 times before it was filmed. Besides that, the filmmakers ensured that every action sequence, including the cock fight, mud fight, and climax scene, were all rehearsed numerous times in the live location to ensure it was perfectly captured in the shot. 

Gimbal Camera

A hand-held Gimbal camera was used to shoot the entire fight sequence in the mud. This is because the fight was shot in a real mud and dirt pit that was two feet long, making it impossible to capture the action from any other camera.

Controversy 

Every iconic movie, at some point, has its fair share of controversy. Kantara stands no exception to it too. The movie has been facing legal battles for plagiarism claims. The song Varaha Roopam in the film ran into troubled waters with a band' Thaikoodam Bridge' from Kerala, claiming that they were the creators of the song and that Kantara filmmakers did not give them due credit for using the same. The issue is currently in court, and the movie makers had to alter portions of the song for their OTT release in November 2022. 

Box Office Collection

A movie that was made with a merger budget of 16 corers went on to garner over a hundred crores in the first months. However, that's not the entire collection of the movie. According to sources, the film made a global business of over 450 crores since its release in September 2022.  This makes it one of the top four highest-grossing movies of 2022, alongside KGF:2, RRR, and Ponniyin Selvan: 1.

Awards

Kantara has landed a place in the 'Best Picture' and 'Best Actor' categories in Oscar's contention list for 2023. 

Interesting Facts

• Shoot Days: This spectacular movie that has stolen every movie buff's heart across the country was made in a span of just 96 days. 

• Budget: The movie has been one of the biggest grosser in Karnataka and the Indian film industry. Despite rubbing shoulders with the likes of Ponniyin Selvan, RRR, and KGF, only a few might know that it had a budget of just 16 crores. 

• Based on Real Events: Portions of the film, like the one where Shiva (Rishab Shetty)'s gun backfires, were inspired by a real-life incident that happened to Shetty's friend. He drew inspiration from that and a few other life experiences to pen the script for this masterpiece. 

• No Body Doubles: Rishab Shetty brought to life the role of Shiva and ensured that all the stunts looked real. To ensure this, he performed all of them without using a body double, including the forest scene of Shiva's introduction. It took him several months of training to get it right, but it looks like the efforts have paid off!

• The Kantara Experience: If you fell in love with the landlord's house while watching the movie, you can live there and get an experience of the lifestyle. Shot at a resort in Udupi, the property is now a hot favourite among Kantara fans. 

• On March 17, Kantara, which premiered on September 30, 2022, will be shown to the UN in Geneva. The Pathe Balexert theater's Hall No. 13 will host the screening. Rishab Shetty will also discuss how Indian cinema has contributed to the discussion of environmental issues, climatic change, and conservation.

Conclusion

Kantara - Dhanta Kathe is a film that revolves around the mystical forest and the power of nature. It explores the popular theme of man vs. nature and how nature always tries to restore harmony en a man lets his greed destroy nature. The movie carefully packs powerful storytelling, wonderful acting, and a great mix of aesthetics and traditions to deliver the year's best movie. It has been almost a year since Kantara hit the screens, and it has been out on Amazon Prime for a few months now. However, the buzz continues, and there are talks of a prequel to the film, which might hit the screens in 2024.