Kantara: Chapter 1 is a prequel to the folklore drama. The film is directed by Rishab Shetty, he plays the lead role as well. Rukmini Vasanth stars alongside him. Produced by Hombale Films, the music is composed by Ajaneesh Loknath.

Premise: Narrates the history of the place where the Guliga God vanished at the end of Kantara. How ages back the people from Kantara brought equality among the kingdom rulers and the forest tribes, by facing demons with the help from Gods.

Writing/ Direction: The same issue that was there in the first part exists here too, the flow being all over the place and there is no clarity on where the story is heading towards. Making style is what keeps the film intact, many scenes have been exceptionally executed. Many memorable sequences just held us tight with the technical finesse. The chariot sequence, the pre-interval stretch involving animals and Rishab Shetty’s divine one-man-show… anyone would get spellbound by the quality of these portions and are superior to anything that Indian cinema has recently made. The topical theatrical experience manages to forgive the setbacks in the content until the true face of the story is revealed in the third act. The villain character is someone who does not take anything seriously, it is evident he was purposefully designed that way, but there was no strong threat until he died. The twist towards the end works to an extent as it sums the overall subject, the staging to it was satisfying, also there were sufficient moments indicating the core idea that hit us at the time of revelation. The intended humour never clicked, it had an extremely silly tone to it throughout, also trying to place jokes at some life or death situations made things worse. Except for the war mode pre-climax, the film was truthful to its world by offering something different, the grand scale fight suddenly shifted into a generic zone. Thankfully the unique approach in the finale provided goosebumps, just like the previous part’s ending.

Performances:

    Rishab Shetty has owned his character and enacted with so much physical effort. Stellar performance from the man and he just transforms the energy to the audience, making us worship the on-screen divinity. Actor Manikandan has dubbed for him, and it goes well together. A dynamic role for Rukmini Vasanth which she has gracefully pulled-off, plus her beautiful presence truly makes her a queen. Gulshan Devaiah was perfect for the caricature character, but he is not scary when he suddenly turns brutal. On the other hand, Jayaram had a better role with layers in his characterization.

Technicalities:

    Technically the best film of the year yet, Hombale Films have gone all out with stunning production values and it has paid off very well. Ajaneesh Loknath’s songs and background score match the nativity, retaining the theme track is a clever choice which creates the same magic here. Stunning visuals that are pitch-perfect, be it the tough high-end shots or the simple ones, every single frame is precious. Editing is a mixed bag as there are a few scenes and even chunks of characters that can be totally removed, however promising stuff with respect to the transition cuts. VFX at its best, the crazy quality achieved especially the ones involving animals are something the team can forever be proud of. Stunt choreography is phenomenal, even the cinematic portions are sincerely executed to land believably. Sound effects are on point as well, resulting in an immersive experience. But sadly there are issues in mixing, certain musical bits being loud by overlapping the dialogues.

Verdict: Forest politics on a period setup is an interesting one, yet the content feels average due to its scattered screenplay. However the unmatched making, terrific visuals and exhilarating presentation of certain sequences hide the shortcomings.

KANTARA: CHAPTER 1 - Worthy Theatrical Experience!

Rating - 3/ 5.