Kantara Chapter 1 is the latest box office release in the town. Produced by Hombale Films, it is a prequel to Kantara, the 2022 blockbuster. In this section, we review the movie.
Plot:
The story takes place centuries before the present. The Kantara tribe and the Bangra kingdom are at the centre of the conflict. Even the rules of Bangra dread entering Kantara, believing that a Brahma Rakshasi will devour them if they stray into the forbidden territory. Kulasekhara (Gulshan Devaiah), the new king of Bangra, sets his sights on Kantara out of greed and evilness. A rivalry with Kantara's resident warrior Berme (Rishab Shetty) puts him in direct conflict with the divine Himself. Kanakavathi (Rukmini Vasanth), Kulasekhara's beautiful sister, is ostensibly in love with Berme.
Performances:
Rishab Shetty, Gulshan Devaiah and Rukmini Vasanth, in that order, impress the viewer. Rishab, also the film's director, fashions himself as an action hero with a mythical strength. He could be as strong as Amarendra/Mahendra Baahubali. He is dangerously one-note in some scenes, but the intensity he displays in the core-genre scenes makes us root for him.
Gulshan is superb as a cruel, arrogant, foolhardy king. He deserves to bag many more negative roles in southern cinema, especially because most artists playing negative roles here have become stale. Rukmini's character is well-written and she gets to graduate to a whole different level now; this film puts her on a higher pedestal. Jayaram as King Vijayendra is good; he is one of the most underrated artists right now.
The rest of the cast, unfortunately, fail to make any impact. The comedians are more boring than others.
Technical aspects:
B. Ajaneesh Loknath's music is above average. Since Kantara, he has exposed his style to all sorts of movies, especially Mangalavaaram and Odela 2, which have probably contributed to his exhaustion. Arvind S. Kashyap's cinematography is efficient. The production design by Banglan involves recreating medieval India; it is generic. The VFX is a mixed bag.
Post-Mortem:
Kantara: Chapter 1 has a genre shift in the first half. For half of the run-time, it feels like it is trying hard to make the audience laugh. Think of a costume drama populated by artists you are not familiar with. On top of jokes that don't land, the film doesn't seem to have a detailed attention to the setting, architecture, social customs, and costumes of the time. It's all generic and low-on-ambition in the first half.
The 'ratham' sequence in the first half could have been a hoot had the treatment been a bit more serious and less random. A Sandalwood comedian overstays his welcome. The Kantara tribe is tormented, but you don't feel anything for them. At one point, the torment is interrupted by a comedian. Think of Vadivelu in the climax of Baahubali. That's what this film feels like in many portions.
The first attack involving the Kantara tribe is spearheaded by the hero himself. So many deaths happen but you are not moved. Every major conversation is interrupted by some unfunny line by an unfamiliar artist. The background score, meanwhile, seems to traverse time periods, not knowing where to settle down. The treatment is essentially lighter veined, making the narrative fall into a period costume comedy.
It is the second half that absolves the movie of its deficiencies. The writer in Rishab Shetty delivers a divine dekko here. There is a Bahaubali-inspired battle sequence set to a rousing folksy song. A flagellation stretch set to a Veena rendition is another standout feature.
Coming to the film's raison d'etre. The segments concerning the takeover by the Divine are well-executed. Although the divine screams and the staging are similar to that of the first edition of Kantara, they are highly immersive.
The final 40 minutes are engaging. Since this is a sequel, the flawed first half might not be a dampener. The audience are expected to be lenient.
Closing Remarks:
Kantara: Chapter 1 is a classic case of a movie saved by its phenomenal second half. The initial segment is a messy, low-ambition period costume comedy, riddled with ineffective humor, a generic setting, and a failure to evoke genuine emotion for the central conflict. However, director and star Rishab Shetty delivers a transcendent second half, especially in the final 40 minutes.
