Daiva Darshan

Daiva Darshan – When Myth Walks and Cinema Roars : My quick take on movie “kantara : Chapter 1” (theatrical release)

Some films speak to you ‘Kantara: Chapter 1’ roars. It doesn’t just continue a legacy, it resurrects one. If the earlier Kantara shocked you, this chapter will stalk you, haunt you, and stay long after the drums have died down. Seldom does a sequel to a blockbuster rise to the same glory, but this one is an aberration in the best possible sense. Though technically a prequel, it takes courage and genius for the writer to retrace the roots of the story after the thunderous success of the first film. Hats off to Rishab Shetty for thinking beyond applause, for expanding mythology into something monumental.

The story unfolds like an ancient scroll discovered beneath sacred soil. The conflict between Berme and the Bangra kingdom isn’t just a clash of swords; it’s a collision of faith and pride, ancestry and authority. The plot is brilliantly layered and packed with impressive twists that give every actor their moment under the sun. Mind you, the earlier Kantara had a mesmerizing climax, but here, you’re served with similar, if not superior, sequences more than once.

Rishab Shetty directs like a man possessed ,a seer with a camera, a storyteller with thunder in his veins. It’s hard to specify which Rishab impresses more ,the creative director, the awesome writer, or the fabulous performer. Take a bow, Rishab. You don’t just make films, you summon worlds. It’s almost unbelievable that he pulled off this magnum opus on a shoe-string budget, proof that vision, not vanity, builds greatness.

The set and costume design deserve a standing ovation. The costumes, drapery, and weaponry are so exquisite, they could have made Raja Ravi Varma himself proud. Each frame feels like a painting sprung to life ,rich in color, texture, and tradition. And those forest sequences, what a marvel! One wonders whether they were real locations or green-screen ka kamaal, but whatever the technique, the result is seamless sorcery. The wilderness breathes, mystical yet menacing ,evoking shades of Kevin Costner’s Waterworld, yet deeply rooted in Indian soil.

The movie is packed with superlative action set pieces, electrifying and breathtaking in equal measure. The chariot stunts, jungle combat, and digitally created yet life-like animals are pure cinematic adrenaline. I’m sure the likes of Rajamouli would be proud of these thunderous, soul-stirring sequences that set new benchmarks in Indian action filmmaking. The cinematography transforms the forest into a breathing deity, alive, judging, and protecting.

The performances add even more soul to this spectacle. As Berme, Rishab Shetty is molten intensity in motion ,his eyes rage, his body becomes prayer, his soul becomes performance. Gulshan Devaiah shines as the scheming Kulashekara, his quiet menace slicing through the chaos like a blade through silk. Rukmini Vasanth is luminous ,her grace balances the fury around her, her presence grounding the storm. Every performance feels possessed, not by ego, but by the spirit of the story itself.

The VFX doesn’t exist to dazzle for attention, it bows before the myth. The divine manifestations, the ethereal glow of the Bhoota realm, and the storms that feel born from faith itself all enrich the narrative. The Dolby Atmos surround sound amplifies every heartbeat, whisper, and war cry, offering a true paisa vasool experience. I watched it in the original Kannada version, soaking in the namma nadu flavor, earthy, raw, and rooted. Yet, I’m tempted to watch it again in Hindi, just to feel how differently the same divinity might sound in another tongue.

Looks like Panjurli and the Daiva themselves have showered their blessings in abundance on Rishab Shetty, for it feels humanly impossible to pull off this kind of grandeur, emotion, and precision all at once. As the myth goes, Goddess Parvati created “Kantara” for Lord Shiva’s penance, and perhaps, in this cinematic reincarnation, Rishab Shetty was chosen to recreate that divine energy on screen.

On the so-called glitches ; yes, a bit of unnecessary and untimely comedy could have been trimmed, and the VFX in a Hulkish bout looked rather amateurish. But honestly, these are tiny ripples in an ocean of magnificence. They get camouflaged in the film’s overall grandeur, swept away by its sheer scale and emotional intensity.

Kantara: Chapter 1 is not just a film, it’s a spiritual cyclone, a thunderclap of culture, courage, and craft. It’s proof that when heart, heritage, and hard work meet, cinema transcends language and becomes legend. If Kantara (2022) lit the spark, Chapter 1 turns it into an inferno, a saga where devotion meets dynamite, and myth meets mastery. Take a bow, Rishab Shetty, for turning folklore into fire, faith into frame, and cinema into something almost sacred.

Overall, this is a movie you simply cannot afford to miss in theaters. Watch it on the biggest screen possible, feel it, breathe it, and let it possess you.