Release Date : October 15, 2022
123telugu.com Rating : 3.25/5
Starring: Rishab Shetty, Kishore Kumar, Achuth Kumar, Sapthami Gowda, Pramod Shetty, Vinay Biddappa
Director: Rishab Shetty
Producers: Vijay Kiragandur
Music Director : B Ajaneesh Loknath
Cinematography : Arvind S Kashyap
Editor : Pratheek Shetty, K M Prakash
Related Links : Trailer
The makers of KGF have now come up with a village drama titled Kantara. This Kannada film created a good buzz in the past few days and has been dubbed in Telugu. Rishab Shetty plays the lead role and directs it as well. So let’s find out how it is.
Story:
The film is set in the year 1847 in the Kundapur village of Karnataka. The King of this area is not happy with his life which lacks peace. He keeps trying to find it, and when he comes across a deity near a forest, he finally achieves peace. He makes an agreement with the villagers there and exchanges the forest lands for the deity. Years later in the 90’s, the trouble starts when the King’s successors demand the lands back. The forest department also becomes a problem for the villagers as they start encroaching on the woodland area. Shiva (Rishabh Shetty), an easygoing guy, takes responsibility and revolts against them. The rest of the film showcases villagers’ fight against the landlords and forest department.
Plus Points:
Rishab Shetty is completely terrific in the role of Shiva. He portrayed the emotions to perfection throughout the film. While his comedy timing provides ample entertainment in the initial hour, his performance in the climax will leave you definitely shocked. The fight sequences and the climax portions will blow our minds.
The first half of the film is thoroughly engaging, and the screenplay moves at a rapid pace without any slow movements. The production design is terrific and the arresting visuals will surely hold your attention.
The funny sequences involving Rishab Shetty and his gang evoke good laughs. The love track between Rishabh and Sapthami Gowda is handled very well. The actress looked alluring, and she did her part well.
Other artists like Achyuth Kumar and Kishore Kumar got good roles with more prominence to this story and were also fine in it. The action scenes are solid and give a high.
The proceedings in the entire film are rustic and showcased in a raw manner. There are a good number of goosebumps moments that will make the masses go crazy especially in the climax.
Minus Points:
After a racy and delightful first half, post-interval scenes start on a dull note with unexciting and tedious moments. The film is well set up, but the narration doesn’t remain effective as the film proceeds forward in this second hour.
It is only during the pre-climax and climax portions the film picks up in the second half. Things would have been much better had the scenes here been executed in an engrossing and engaging manner.
After a point in time, the movie becomes entirely predictable. A few scenes will surely remind us of films that came in the similar genre. The film’s length is another flaw, and as close to ten to fifteen minutes should have been chopped off without dragging it unnecessarily.
Technical Aspects:
Technically the film is simply brilliant. However, major credit must be given to Ajaneesh Loknath’s background score, which was scintillating. He is one of the biggest backbones of the film, without any doubt. Many scenes were taken to the next level thanks to Ajaneesh’s BGM.
The film’s production values are no less than any big-budget film, which is visible in every frame of the film. The rustic nature of the film is well-showcased by cinematographer Arvind Kashyap. The village and forest locations look so realistic.
Rishab Shetty’s direction is decent. His narration in the first hour is so interesting, while it is just okayish in the second half. He was able to extract first-rate performances from all the lead cast. His vision to portray the culture and traditions of Karnataka is appreciable.
Verdict:
On the whole, Kantara is a rustic village drama that has been narrated in a gritty manner. The film has a fair number of engrossing moments that will arrest you. Rishab Shetty’s remarkable act, and an adrenaline pumping climax are major assets. On the flip side, the film’s story is predictable and has a lengthy runtime. Barring this, the film also has good visuals and deserves a theatrical experience.
123telugu.com Rating: 3.25/5
Reviewed by 123telugu Team