We are often called a country of soothsayers and snake charmers. Our culture is known to be deeply influenced by spirituality, folklore, superstitions, and traditions arising from these beliefs. But no one realizes the richness and grandeur of the rituals and traditions emanating from those fables and folklore. And they are understood only by Indians because we grow up listening and experiencing them as they are embedded in our daily rituals, habits, and events. Kantara brings the story of such a mystic and ancient fable believed by tribals living in the deep dense forests of coastal Karnataka.
The legend of the Kanthara (meaning forest) happens in the deep, dense green forests of Tulunadu, Karnataka. Marinated in the thick foliage and intoxicating misty thickets where a mystic ancient folklore of Bhoot Kola took birth and lives on. This story revolves around the regional deity "Panjurli" known by the indigenous tribals living there as "Daiva". The lives and homes of people on these lands are sacred and the people inhabiting them worship Daiva who offers them protection from evil forces that threaten to drive them away. The folklore says that whoever believes in the deity will be protected by him an avatar of Vishnu, one of the Hindu trinities.
To the present day, the protector and the evil both live on and the age-old tussle between the two continues for the rightful claim of the land. The deity is waiting to take its form in the protagonist Shiva who is a Kambala champion and darling of the village. His father who would be possessed by Daiva in a once-a-year "Kola" ritual has disappeared into the forest. It starts out with the legend of a king who donates the land to the tribals and leaves it under the protection of their Daiva. The story builds up with different characters playing their role representing all the human characteristics of humility, pride, humor, idiocy, treachery, self-service, deceit, manipulation, friendship, love, and belonging; each in different proportions. The richness of the culture expressed in the vibrant traditions, relationships, social and economic differences, caste differences, and hierarchies make for a very interesting and thoughtful experience. The complexities of the village ecosystem - the government, the indigenous people and their hero, and the manipulative, wealthy, and powerful fiend, that any Indian story has are all there and how !
It is a bold move made by Rishab Shetty to present a unique mystic story to an audience plagued by digital dominance with a short attention span. The elements of the story will seem boring to those deeply influenced by the western or cliched Punjabi and north Indian backdrops we are so used to. But the elements are original and rich so the audience tends to get interested and engrossed. For me, this film has the same effect that my father's narration of short clips from Ramayana and Mahabharata had on me as a child. The exoticism embedded deeply in divinity and spirituality is engrossing and entertaining.
The last scene will leave you enthralled and enraptured at the sheer theatrics and spectacular talent of Rishabh in a captivating performance. It is no less than the best Yakshagana you might have or will ever have the fortune to witness. Daiva's avatar is waiting to be unleashed and explodes to give a fitting closure to an epic film. Kannada films have finally arrived with original flavors and taste that they do not need to mimic other film industries anymore. Watching the film in Kannada made it a richer experience than a dubbed version.
Rating : 4.3 / 5
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