Kantara Movie Review: Mixture of myth and masala
The much talked about Kannada film, Kantara, has been released in Telugu by Geetha Arts. A lot has been said about the film, which has been produced by the makers of KGF. Let’s see how the film has turned out to be.
Story
The story starts with the search for happiness, by an unhappy King. After trying several options and trying to find peace in many ways, he finds it in the statue of a God that he finds in the forest. He takes possession of the statue in exchange for the forest lands, after negotiating with the locals of the area. However, the real problem starts in the 1990s, when the King’s descendants want the land back. What happens to the land and to the statue forms the rest of the story.
Analysis
Rishab Shetty deals with a regular story but the screenplay and narration of the story keeps the film at high. The way he handles the film is very impressive. Tribal people life and life-style, their emotion and affection towards god and motherland portrayed very beautifully.
Post- interval, the story unfolds actual crux and interestingly progresses towards a never seen on-screen climax.
The movie stresses on us understanding and knowing our origins and history, and mixed with the brilliance of filmmaking that is involved in the film, Kantara turns out to be a must watch for everyone. It has all the factors working in its favour, which makes it a must watch for everyone, in theatres.
Performances
Rishabh Shetty undoubtedly forms the soul of the film, with his impeccable acting range. From portraying a village guy in the 90s with his own agendas, to switching to a Godly presence and antiques when required, the actor has done a stellar job in the film. Saptami Goud is an asset for the film, and was perfectly cast in her role, proving the importance of casting local talents for any film. Achyuth Kumar and Kishore are apt in their roles as well, and even though one can easily guess the character arc of Achyuth Kumar’s part, he has done a fantastic job in it. Kishore has done a superb job as well. The rest of the cast is perfect in their roles, contributing just the right amount for the film.
Technicalities
Without doubt, the music director of the film, Ajaneesh Loknath, has done an outstanding job with his background score, elevating every single scene to the next level with his mindblowing score. Every scene stands out with the fusion of Carnatic music with haunting vocals.
The cinematography by Arvind S Kashyap is another asset for the film, as the cinematography adds a lot more layers to the film. The impact it creates is outstanding and makes the audience remember the film even after its end.
The production design and art work of the film are also very good. Another important factor that works in favour of the film is that the execution and screenplay of the film are simply superb. Even thought the film’s story is pretty routine, the screenplay and execution make the film interesting.
