Kantara (2022) User Reviews

Rishab Shetty shines in this pretty solid and slightly overhyped movie.

[akhil027 · 7/10 · 22 October 2022]

The opening and ending scene of Kantara is nothing like you've seen before. The way they wrote the mythological background was so good. But those are limited to the opening scene and climax. What happens in between is the overtold story of the rough hero who gets into trouble for his locality, his love interest and the conflict in the name of their place.

I can't believe they still write characters like Sreevalli and Leela. In the very first scene in which Leela is introduced, the hero straight up physically assaults her. There are other ways to write a romance, you know? No matter how progressed these movies become. They just can't get the female characters right.

The screenplay, direction cinematography, stunts, artwork and acting are pretty great. The screaming could've been dialed down a bit. The repeated screams might give you a headache. Rishab Shetty's performance in the climax is hands down one of the finest work I've ever seen in a Kannada movie. He handled something that could've gone very wrong really well.

It's theater material. Each person is different. This review is my opinion. Watch it in theaters and decide for yourself. Movies like these are made for theatres.

Good but overrated

[arpit-mishra · 7/10 · 29 November 2022]

This is a masala movie with some artistic touch. I feel it is hyped to the moon and you may feel underwhelmed after watching it. Totally predictable but the last 15 minutes are worth waiting. Atleast 20 minutes of the film could have been edited out. But still I think the movie has heart and shows us that a cinematicaly beautiful film is possible to make in budget. I saw some reviews and film essays after watching the movie and just can't understand how people can say it is beyond understanding. I may sound little harsh but it is because I felt cheated by all those YouTube movies reviewers who hyped this film like crazy.

What a creation !

[navendu_krishnan · 9/10 · 2 October 2022]

Happened to Watch Kantara (Forest), in a jampacked houseful show. Weekend was a red zone for this movie beating PS1, and Vikram Vedha in Bangalore. I had to travel 16 KM to HSR Thirumala. But all efforts were worth !

Kantara is absolutely breath taking, I some how liked more than KGF. Its a next venture of Homable films after KGF chapter 2

Kantara is an epitome of how Rishab Shetty as an Actor, DIrector and Writer finds his place is the same film. I always admired Rishab shetty for his excellent story creation and direction, From Kirik Party, Kasargodu Shaale and as an Actor in many.

Starting with the story, Kantara is a fight between good and evil, sometimes the god, sometimes the people of the forest. Eventually at the end, the god wins always, it is crafted with a touch of Boota Kola a worship from Tulu nadu - Malanadu and Northern Kerala. It resembles the Theyyam art as well. Just like the demographic picturization , kantara shot in Dakshin Karnataka forest area, the crew made an intense research on Art, Music and folklore in Kundapura to all the way Kasargod. Hence the location, Cinematography, Art all were treat for the eye.

Acting cannot be ruled out, Rishab as a main lead was excellent, Kishore did his career best role. Achyuth Kumar, Pramod Shetty, Swaraj Shetty - all were perfect cast.

Another best thing about this movie is the music , its a mixture of folklore - jaanapada a form of folk song , ajaneesh loknath is the music director. Some of the songs will give us the goosebumps.

In all words, Kantara is a story of Uprising of a Forest against its exploiters. The movie, especially the climax is an Adrenaline Rush !

Well made! 9/10.

Please research Dakshina Kannada and Udupi region Bhoota Aradhane traditions before watching this movie!

[bharathshetty · 10/10 · 2 October 2022]

It's an amazing movie showcasing the regional culture of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi region of Karnataka.

I am from this region and am familiar with the tradition of Bhoota Aradhana. This may seem superstitious and even scary initially, but it's okay, believe me, even I felt or used to feel the same. My humble request to the audience who are not familiar with this tradition, is that you to do a small research into 'Bhoota Kola' , 'Panjurli' and 'Guliga' daivas...this would make your experience and understanding this movie more enjoyable!.

This movie is a masterpiece trying to bring out the hidden, often misunderstood traditions into the mainstream. This is the reality, who many people in our country are not aware and it's absolutely okay. Such movies are helpful to make us all understand that India is a land of such a diversity and yet so beautiful!

Masterpiece 😊😊😊

[suhas-01592 · 10/10 · 1 October 2022]

What a movie... I was literally blown away by the dedication and acting of Rishabh Shetty. You need guts to pick the topic and execute in such a nice way. Mark my words this movie will get National Award. BGM, cinematography, direction and acting all were topnotch. Final 20 minutes of climax is unbelievable... never expected Rishabh Shetty got such an acting skill. Achyutha Kumar, Kishore acted really well... Daiva, kola, bootharadhane, kambala the classic culture of the Karavali Karnataka has been shown superbly. Goosebumps expected at every scene. Dont miss the climax its the core ot the movie.

Movie is divine blessings

[kirthiraj · 10/10 · 6 October 2022]

Not meant for review, no words to express felling after the watch. Once in life time movie😍Daivaradhane is belief and practice till day by tulunadu people and they protect our family and land from any harm. We felt deeply connected and can only done by Rishabh Shetty being deeply rooted to place can pull this off. Movie with no flaws watched it so many times brilliant acting by cast , mind-blowing music and camera work .Last few minutes felt vibration throughout body seeing Rishabh acting felt divine blessings behind it ,tears rolled down eyes at end 🙏This needs to reach highest audience across India.

Epitome of Acting! Chilling experience!

[itguyvoice · 10/10 · 1 October 2022]

Epitome of acting! Chilling experience!

It's a mystical thriller and slice of life......... Top class direction, BGM, cinematography, choreography & touch of spirituality. I watched yesterday night, and the movie's experience is still with me like an hang over and not able to get out of it!!!!!!!!

There are times in history of cinema, when nativity of certain culture comes to life, with such authenticity, at the same time keeping the mystical part without dilution, and enhancing audience experience to touch the divinity! Watch to experience it.

Kudos to Producer and director for giving us such cult classic!! Whooooooooo.

Still not able to come out of the Kantara World....!!!

[shyamtheju · 10/10 · 2 October 2022]

No words to explain.... Outstanding Cinema. All departments hardwork shows in the screen. Aravind Kashyap cinematography is next level. BGM and Song from Ajaneesh gives goosebumps. The Director and Actor Rishabh Shetty is fire. Saptami Gowda did excellent and romantic part is very raw and goes with the story well. Kishore and Achyuth Sir perfect casting and brought justice to the role. Subtle comedy by Shiva and Gang keeps the story moving. The last climax is the must watch theatre experience and a divine moment. Proud film from Kannada industry and deeply rooted cultural but commercial entertainer. Finally thanks for Hombale Films to backing this project.

Went in for the hype, came out with GOOSEBUMPS

[madhujith · 10/10 · 12 October 2022]

After hearing so much about this movie, went in even without watching the trailer, but from the very beginning of the movie, boy was I glued to the screen!

Loved the way the complex character of Shiva was portrayed.... The way he is constantly running away from his destiny and taking refuge in the 'material luxuries' (aka. Drink, waste away time etc.).

The movie, do subtly and brilliantly captures the exploration of innocence by the rich and powerful! The different paths to the same end (DRFO and Shiva), the complexity and diversity of culture.... Just WOW!

When the climax approached, I was left speechless! Had tears in my eyes and had my hands folded(completely unknowningly). I drive back with my wife after a late night show here in Australia and was a good 45 min drive and we both didn't utter a word!

I was still in a state of trance the whole of next day!!!

If this doesn't deserve an Oscar.... Then not sure what else does....

Severely overrated

[sivaprasad1347 · 6/10 · 25 November 2022]

DId I watch a different Kantara ?

Initial minutes of the movie was interesting as it was building a mystery around the villagers and demigods. I was expecting a decent fantasy mystery movie. But after a particular scene, the movie shifted its pivot to a different issue and it stayed there till the end. It was frustratingly boring in the second half and it killed all the interest I had watching the first few minutes of the movie. Then, the movie slowly decayed into the same old stuff we have seen 100 times before. Costumes are different, setting is different but core stuff is the same.

The last few minutes were good from a performance point of view, but it felt like pointless as at that point, the movie became something else and it didn't matter to the overall outcome of the movie.

Animations and VFX were good but could have been better. Especially the wild bore scenes felt a little short and didn't blend well with the scene.

Overall, its certainly a one time watchable movie with good cinematic experience but without a plot.

Masterpiece

[rohandskmn · 10/10 · 1 October 2022]

Rarely does a movie like this come out which makes you feel you have been transported into another world. As a tuluva this made me so proud. More than anything else I want to thank Rishab Shetty for bringing out and showing our motherland and its rich culture to the entire world.

Coming to the movie part, it was nothing less than perfect. The acting, the story telling, the cinematography etc was class apart <3 Rishab shettre ereg dever edde malpad. Keep growing and keep delivering such master pieces throughout your life. This movie should receive National award and Rishab Anna should also receive National award for his brilliant acting.

Very confused and blur, why its so hyped...

[sosrivi · 6/10 · 28 November 2022]

Apart from the culture aspect in movie. I find the story is very flat and screenplay is like very boring.

A perdictable villan, so blunder hero and heroine scene. Which never worked for me. The music and climax stunt is the saviour of the movie. If not there is nothing much this movie can offer me. There no a clear explaination why the god choosed him. He is just a loafer. Never do much all he does is going for hunt, drinking liquor, smoking weed and bring trouble for people. Brother who devoted to the god dies. Does not make sense. Just because he is a hero he gets everything done i guess... A very average revenge story with culture and region based it went sensation.

Kantara - Much ado about nothing.

[radiantfractal · 5/10 · 16 November 2022]

A month ago, without having watched it, I'd been asking people to watch Kantara in theater. To practice what I preached, I finally myself watched it in theater today. Average, at best.

This is what the movie was:

1. A very interesting but rushed beginning introducing us to the dev. We wish to see it more but the maker was in a hurry to get to the boring part.

2. A 45 year old actor plays a 25 year old guy.

3. Daaru, beedi, gaanja.

4. Cruelty on animals.

5. Cutting and damaging of forests.

6. Objectification of women.

7. Violence against forest-officials doing their job.

8. Justifying everything in a very naxalite way.

9. Points 3 to 8 repeated several times till we get to the climax.

10. A battle between the villagers and the villain's men in the climax. The villain literally sits on a chair in the middle of the battle and is unscathed.

11. After the village is almost razed down and the hero almost killed, he gets possessed by the dev and kills the villain. We want to see more of the dev but the movie ends there. The maker was reluctant showing the interesting bit.

You walk out of the theater wondering what was so great about the movie.

Satyada Daiva tulunada Daiva🙏

[damodarg-75753 · 10/10 · 2 October 2022]

Prefection everything about this film is out of this world they have shown dakshin kannada culture very well absolutely loved it and rishab shetty sir really showed his true potential with this movie both as an actor and a director and kishore sir always delivers be it any role the visuals,set background music was just divine hats off to ajaneesh sir and please homable films make more movies like this as everyone will get to experience the rich indian culture everywhere all over the world and all the rest of the cast have also done theur roles very well shiva's gang is just hilarious everyone must watch it in theatres NOW!

Master piece 🙌

[irfanirf-82032 · 10/10 · 1 October 2022]

From to start to an end picture was outstanding and even better direction from rishab shetty bohut acha film he kundapura especially manglore me jo davi aradana challah he uska bohut ache se dikaya he climax ke last 10 minute was outstanding Rishab shetty direction even better than before acting tho badiya ti kishore ka acting bi jabardast ta debuted heroin ka acting teek taak ta overall great performance by actors especially music was outstanding bgm super cinematography outstanding total rooted regional movie with great content overall masterpiece aisa movie kannada industry me abhi tak nahi aya thank you.

Transcendent: There are movies and then there is Kantara

[samxxxul · 10/10 · 2 October 2022]

Absolutely bonkers, wild and a movie worth for a discussion. This film impresses with its variety of forms and feelings - there is a whole bunch of emotions. Rishab Shetty has the ability to cater his films to moviegoers of all class and successfully crossed that divide between indie and mainstream. Even his production 'Pedro' and which is doing wonders in the festival circuit endows his ability to strike a balance. Likewise with Rakshit Shetty who has backed so many indie films including the recent Sakutumba Sametha (2022).

Coming to Kantara, this film has so many layers of complexity and it's amazing Rishab expresses a lot while keeping it grounded, rooted and minimalistic. With unending sound of the biosphere set in Tulunadu as a conjunction between ecology, greed of man, civilization and everything in between sums up the tone of the film. I loved the idea of the flashback and voiceover to set things going from the start. On the other hand, this is a proper commercial film so expect all the genre troupes, elevations, guy falling head over heels in love and a story done to death. But Rishab stands out as he chooses this inalienable closeness of mother earth and man, adds the main ingredient, i.e. Is ENTERTAINMENT!

Even Shiva as the rebel concept was conveyed so well, the face-off that involves internal and external conflicts will immerse you. His character is grey and not without its downsides as he lives in two worlds at the same time. The first is the world of flesh and bone, and the second is the divine, which is his true calling to carry the legacy of his father. The realization is pretty good, when he gets nightmares for the wrongdoings, he is led to this mysterious place in the forest, like a portal. It happens in the pre-climax after the brilliant "i am cleansed," scene, very short and doesn't go into full details of the transformation. The gloomy atmosphere in the film occupies a central niche, besides, the tone of that forest, it also contributes to the overall outcome of the film.

The visuals are ideally combined with subplots and the authenticity to mix the culture of Kambla and Bhootha Kola is not an overkill. It is picturized so well as the climax moments densely settles in memory for quite a long time and it will be the same for other viewers too.

The main thing here is that the spirit of Rishab Shetty to keep it authentic right from music, staging, actors and ending with costumes. It is really tough that he will have another big film comparable to Kantara in his career. To put it simply and briefly, I am delighted with the viewing. Enjoyed every minute from start to finish. A community watch, a spectacle made for only celluloid experience. I know when this will be out on OTT so called shallow cinephhiles, purists, Xenolingohassens will find it cringe and problematic. I am still going with 10/10 sure I'm obviously biased, the making, production value soothed the drought of content driven commercial films lacking in kannada industry. Mark my words, this will be remembered by those who have experienced it only on the bring screen even after decades.

It will remain as a masterpiece in KFI

[priyagowda-28199 · 10/10 · 2 October 2022]

What a masterpiece created by Rishabh Shetty 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻, his character as Shiva will remain in everyone's heart whoever watches the movie. The story line, screenplay, cinematography omg it's all mind-blowing. Rishabh the mastermind behind this movie is proving again and again that he can create magic onscreen, his entry by kambala scene was on fire. Each and every character in the movie has taken the movie to the next level, can't choose one to praise them. But Kishore as DRFO and Acchyuth Kumar as landlord are terrific to watch. Ajaneesh's music is treat to watch, his BGMs will make you to sit at the edge of your seat.

Cultural masterpiece

[maneeshrai-75223 · 10/10 · 2 October 2022]

A show of Tulunad culture from rishabh Shetty and team,even a single minute is not getting bored,neatly shown the bhootakola and taulava culture. Songs are specially heart touching,cinematography is at the peak level,especially shooting the night visuals they nailed it with camera works. And the fight scenes are made sooo realistic especially that Kambala fight scene,And the co actors like murali, achyuth and the female leads of the movie are given the top level of their acting. And the comedy part also driven fantastically in the movie, Finally the climax , never seen such a great climax till date that much goosebumps in the climax,Don't miss this in theaters.

More than Mind Blowing

[mohanrajugihsrah · 10/10 · 2 October 2022]

Every Scene from strating of the story They try to carry a ancient story from that part to the climax, you never get bored for a sec if you understand the language. And the special mention about climax is " Fell it in Theatre with that sound effects". Even just think about it creates goosebumps now also...... Never miss this movie experience in Theatre... One of the Karnataka culture is perfectly shown in this film with a Great direction, Perfect BGM score, Mind blowing Acting by every Acters, Cinematography is at its best and even one scene form movie you can't find the graphics or VFX that much of Reality shooting is done by the team Thanks Team Kantara for this great Movie.

Really? Worth this high rating?

[pugazholi · 6/10 · 17 December 2022]

I have no idea why this movie is rated so high on IMDb.

Mokka comedy (Tamil language), bad editing, not great star cast and ok direction. Just because friends said climax is awesome, watched it fully. My 1 liner; 80% of the movie is not watchable ... Last 20% is ok, comparitively makes the climax good.

I don't even want to go to my believe system, but what are they trying to say. A super human being protects the village, ok let be it. Can we not make a good comedy with the tribal back drop.

I should agree with the kantar consume hero had performed very good, and he had done a good job overall too.

Wanted Kishore, I am sure he accepted because this is a movie from his state.

One of the best pure ever culture classic cinema 🔥

[akshaykanchan · 10/10 · 1 October 2022]

Masterpiece of an Indian cinema. It will be remain one of the best movie ever watched in my lifetime. Shetre... We are so proud of you. It's my first review.. No words, Thank you Rishabh Shetty. Hands down to Rishab Shetty for giving this magnificent movie. A must watch climax is an experience watch it on theatres. We can't point out single negative in his direction and acting. No build up, no mass dialogue, every characters are equally important. Ajneesh background music was just wow!!!.. It's gonna be another milestone in Sandalwood. Those one liner comedy and BGM is just epic. Thank you Kantara team for wonderful experience.

Overrated As F

[theiunikgamer · 6/10 · 17 March 2023]

Seriously, one of the most overrated movies I've watched Basically "Pushpa With Fantasy Elements" Is what summarizes this film.

Only the scenes involving Panjauli dev(Opening scene, horror scenes, climax) were good and worth watching Otherwise it's just Pushpa, nothing else Promoting all kind of anti social activities like objectifying women, disrespecting government officials, destroying forest, illegal animal hunting, etc

Didn't even consider cheesy dialogues, bad acting by some cast members(Ofc Rishabh Shetty did a good job here) and still it's so much.

I'd have given it 5/10(Rating Of Film Pushpa) The only reason it got a little more is because of the scenes involving Panjurli dev.

LARGELY OVER RATED!

[anushakanchi · 5/10 · 28 November 2022]

How can people see that looking at a woman while bathing without her knowledge as romantic? I saw the director's interview and he said that it is in his 'not so good boy' phase. Then it should be portrayed that way right? I mean the background music is romantic while these scenes play? The audience was erupting with laughter with the scenes where a woman's teeth is compared to that of a buffalo's teeth? How is it even funny? How is pinching waist still exist in largely hit movies or in movies itself? The climax is surely good but these other problematic scenes shouldn't be ignored at all! Along with the positive reviews, which are many, the issues with these scenes doesn't seem to exist at all!

One of the Best Movie so far !!!!

[prakasha-03205 · 10/10 · 2 October 2022]

The expectation for Rishab Shetty movies usually high for me always but this one for sure standout from rest of his movie and one of his carrier's best movie also the best performance. Never expected climax acting to be this much by Rishab shetty !!! It's a top notch!!

Final thought ,this movie should be celebrated for it's making, story line,content, performance by all the lead and supporting actors and Kishore Sir , Achyut Kumar Sir performance is great as always , it's a must watch for everyone.

Not to mention ,this is my first time review for a film and i couldn't stop myself to write about the film.. Repeat mode On !!!

One of the greatest movie in world cinema

[madmax-18434 · 10/10 · 2 October 2022]

Rishabh Shetty is perhaps the greatest actor director in Indian cinema today. This movie takes you to a different world of TULUNADU and tells you an universal story of man and nature in a thrilling way. The climax is perhaps the best ever made in Indian cinema. After Heath ledger joker act in Dark Knight, this role of Rishabh is what I liked The most.

It tells the story of sub altern people and their lives beliefs and Gods but in a very rooted and Indian way unlike anything you have seen on screen The action is amazing and it is very entertaining with lot of comic dialogues which lighten the movie though it is heavy story. This is what makes Rishabh such a great writer and director.