Kantara creates a remarkable history!
Indian moviegoers are currently going through a challenging experience for which they were unprepared. An entire nation’s imagination has been caught by a film, Kantara, produced in a language that only a small portion of the population speaks, depicting the customs of only a few districts within that population, with very few well-known actors and very little collective experience. It is an imagination that is barely acknowledged in popular literature and art. However, even for those who are compelled to abandon that imagination, it is so well-known and ingrained in their minds that even one scene from this movie can conjure up vivid memories of it.
Here, we give a brief overview of this artistic and cultural feat, which is continually being created. Only when it has completed its intended course can the true impact be evaluated.
With the release of this film, our customs, dEvatAs, and feelings of sanctity have returned to mainstream cinema. Even in the Kannada business, we had lost them for a few decades, whereas other industries had left from the start. With Kantara, we have firmly inserted them into the heart of cinema as essential components of the story, narration, and core of the work rather than as a supplemental component. Not only is the Daiva returning, but the Daiva is also a movie theatre.
This cinematic reformation makes contributions in both form and content. With Kantara, we are no longer dependent on “Realism” as the main method of tale-telling. Of course, we’ve had our “Nagins” and “Magadheeras.” However, our non-realistic film just focused on imagination and entertainment. They were hesitant efforts. However, Kantara is a blatant foregrounding of Indian storytelling and narrative. The Real and the Myth converge. Instead of being restricted to a small set of stories termed fantasy confined for entertainment, the visual storytelling form that is produced is universal and applicable to all types of stories. The Myth is not a distinct genre in the storytelling that Kantara offers. Instead, it is a different authentic experience that elevates the ordinary physical world.
The Deseeya, or the folk, have been reintroduced to the national spotlight by Kantara. It represents the Deseeya form’s victory. Kantara is for the Deseeya – the Folk that Bahubali 1 & 2 were for the Margeeya – the Classical. Bahubali could have taken place at any period or place in Bharatavarsha. However, the geographical coordinates of Kantara are known only to a few Karnataka coastal districts. However, there is still another accomplishment. In the film, the Deseeya touches the Margeeya at both its core and apex. Sanskrit, classical music, Guliga, folk dance, and Panjurli Daiva are all present together.
In the film, the Deseeya effortlessly speaks Margeeya (Dharma). Another incredible accomplishment is this illustration of the two existing in perfect harmony, with one achieving the other at its height. It’s important to note that this isn’t carried out coercively, philosophically, or with overtly political intentions. Without compromising the aesthetic integrity of the film, it just comes across as the depiction of matter-of-fact reality.
India has had numerous historical battles during the past 300 years. The conflict-resolution-synthesis cycle is repeated repeatedly. Kantara illustrates one such significant Civilizational/Cultural Conflict with a fairly straightforward narrative.
Kantara is a straightforward folk tale with a wealth of information that would put a contemporary anthropologist to shame. It’s incredible that a single film can contain so much information while using each element to highlight a different aspect of the plot. This is definitely a literary and artistic accomplishment. A lengthier essay will result from detailing this in great detail. The entire movie was filmed in an area of a few square kilometres. Every creativity and investment goes into creating the sets for each scenario. There is no need for needless spending, elaborate localization, or international travel. VFX and other technology might be present.
Kantara excels in every aspect of filmmaking, including acting, cinematography, editing, music, script, lyrics, dance, and pretty much anything else. The ability to choose such a topic, as well as having the appropriate cultural vision and viewpoint, are three factors that make a significant difference. to be able to cinematically direct and design that down to the last detail.
That is Rishab Shetty’s outstanding accomplishment. In his prior films, he demonstrated his artistic potential. The execution fulfils several requirements for a well-made film. Each and every one of the film’s characters make a distinct contribution to the overall. No one is more or less significant than the protagonist. Unlike many movies, the starring actress is not a property.
She has a distinctive personality and contributes to the protagonist’s and the community’s transformation. In the process, she encounters her own crises. Silent characters have an impact on the film as well. Their silences contribute to the film’s overall narrative and cinematic experience. Naturally, both the important and supporting roles are all very well defined. Over the course of the film, they each experience their own metamorphosis. Characterization in the film is clearly a success.
The movie has simply outstanding acting. Rishab deserves particular praise for getting such strong performances from so many diverse characters while simultaneously playing the role of his life. Sapthami Gowda is flawlessly suited for her character, which depicts a swift transition from innocence to responsibility. The Brother of the protagonist Guruva portrays the sense of reverence of the Kola performer at each appearance with hardly any words. Veteran actor Achyut Kumar is a villain who is deserving of everyone’s hatred. Kishore, the policeman, is a perfect example of the Modern State’s blatant hubris. The young Manasi Sudhir portrays the part of an elderly mother who has experienced all the worst aspects of a difficult existence brilliantly.
In addition to being a fantastic work of art, Kantara is crucial to our culture and civilisation. It restores a great deal of faith in the Local. It depicts how the local, both artistically and commercially, reaches the universal in India. The movie’s dual themes are “Unity in Diversity” and “Diversity in Unity.” The former is top-down, whereas the latter is bottom-up. We are a concept that seeks and promotes diversity proactively. Our philosophical approach embraces diversity and integrates it into the totality.
The film is a manifestation of both phenomena in content and style. It stands for the former in terms of its commercial success. It demonstrates that Unity is always facilitated by Diversity. People in India are enjoying watching it, whether it is dubbed or in Kannada with subtitles. This restores faith in the community; be local in your substance. You are still relevant to everyone. Make a film on a tiny area of the universe that does not portray inferiority or atrocity but rather the cultural essence, beauty, and perspective of that area. A tale from Kundapura will be adored by Kashi.
Kantara demonstrates that Divinity is a crucial aspect of our existence through its theme and experience. By excluding Divinity from our artistic endeavours, we have depleted both our lives and our artistic output. In this respect, Kantara is one significant step in the broad process of decolonization, or, to put it another way, a prod to utilise our own lenses. If one has seen the last 20 minutes of the film, there is no need for further explanation of this. It is not overstated to say that it is an Indian cinematic first. Rishab adopts the persona he plays. The sense of distance between the spectator and the movie, the forest community, the narrative, and even Time is lost.
Typically, our Janapada art forms do this. However, it is a complete rarity in movies. Nearly everyone has attested to this being their very first experience of transcendence through a modern art form in one way or another. There is no comparison for this. Its transcendence and divinity are undeniable. It produces a wonderful stillness and therapeutic correction in your thoughts. Most people have stated that audiences simply leave the theatre in silence because they don’t want to disrupt their silence. This is because such artistic experiences are all too uncommon in modern society.
The one thing in a movie that I have secretly yearned for my entire life is Kantara. Hopefully, this cathartic corrective changes the course of cinematic art and spreads to other spheres of our civilisation.
