Movie Review : Kantara chapter 1
Kantara Chapter 1, is the prequel to the huge blockbuster Kantara, which was released a few years ago.
The story goes back in Time, when a greedy king covets Ishwar Poothottam, a sacred forest area in Kantara, and loses his life in the process. Leter, his surviving son, (Jayaram) begets twins and crowns his son Kulasekara ( Gulshan Devaiah) as king.
History repeats itself when the egotistic, drunken Kulasekara tries to enter Kantara like his grandfather. But he has to flee in fear thanks to the brave forest dweller warriors led by Barmeh ( Rakshit Shetty).
This incident changes the views of Barmeh who decides to go into Kulasekara's Bangra, and discover what its all about. He gets local help from an imprisoned, good natured soldier and with his team sets foot in the trading post of the kingdom
There he meets the princess ( Rukmini Vasant) who allows him to start trading after a few initial hiccups.
But the entry of the people of Kantara draws ire from Kulasekara, leading to a dangerous conflict. Barmeh is determined to protect Kantara while the enemy is bent on destroying it.
Further along the way, Barmeh makes a discovery that stuns him. Now he has even more dangerous enemies to protect the sacred forest from.
Who are the hidden enemies? Who wins and how? What is the secret of the scared forest? Who is Barmeh actually?
The film is a magnificently mounted, carefully crafted, fantastic divine action adventure that keeps you hooked from beginning to end.
Hats off to Rishab Shetty who has so skilfully conceptualised and not only acted in but also directed this epic offering.
The first half attempts to build the characters and showcase the various geographical areas, boundaries, conflicts, strengths and weaknesses of its characters. In doing so, there may be lags as we are introduced to a variety of characters and taken into new worlds on screen.
But slowly the plot unfolds and once we get an idea of things, the movie begins to gather pace in the second half leading to a stupendous last 30 minutes that are simply mindblowing. To reveal details would take away from the cinematic experience in store.
Ajaneesh Loknath's, bgm is spectacular. The vfx, which takes up a key role, is simply incredible. The terrific sets of the kingdom and the portions of the forest are painstakingly detailed. The stunt department deserves high praise.
The forest portions are fantastic in concept and execution. The unfolding story may seem complex at first but you dont mind, as the brilliance of the film engulfs the senses.
Jayaram and Gulshan Devaiah are impressive and aptly cast. Rukmini Vasant as the beautiful princess with a mind of her own is outstanding.
But its the showstealer, Rishab Shetty in the lead, who delivers a terrific performance all through. His performance peaks unbelievably in the spectacular climax portions which words would fail to describe. His tall, steely and impressive frame, fits the character to perfection and leaves you with a sense of jaw- dropping awe during every stupendous action block in the film.
The climax portions are supremely divine and the film has many nuanced layers and hidden facets that are mindblowing.
A technically solid film filled with twists and goosebump moments, unleashes its raw power on a grand scale and engulfs you in its field of pulsating energy, as it brilliantly portrays the unthinkable, taking the viewer in a cinematic journey hitherto unexplored in Indian cinema. A must watch.
Rating 4.75 /5
