Kantara: The Legend – Chapter 1 – My Flash Review

I finally caught up with Kantara: Chapter 1 on OTT this weekend. In my review of the earlier Kantara film, I had mentioned that the film was a normal commercial film that was saved by the last 20-odd minutes with an intriguing climax sequence.  Since we were told that this part is actually a prequel to that, I was eager to see how this one builds on the earlier Kantara.

This film is set many years before the timeline of the earlier Kantara film. Therefore, we are in the midst of the Maharaja era. Director Rishab Shetty, who also plays the central protagonist role as in the earlier part, takes his own time for the world-building. The central theme revolves around the very familiar and often repeated “Us Vs Them” line and this theme plays out repeatedly through dialogues throughout the film. This is a conflict between the elite class, as represented by the Maharaja and his ilk, and the marginalised, represented by tribals who live in the forest area of Kantara.

In terms of theme, it is very similar to the earlier part, with the main difference being the timeline in which both films are set. What is different is the making. The budgets seem manifold. The production quality is far better. The technical craft, in terms of camera work, SFX, VFX, action choreography, background score, and art direction, is fantastic and can be compared to some of the best we have seen recently.

However, in terms of the emotional core, the film doesn’t offer anything new compared to the earlier part. In the first part, there was a novelty in the idea of mixing mythology, fantasy, and mythical elements into contemporary storytelling, introduced through the Bhoota Kola art form and so on. However, in this part, we see doubling down of the same, with double the noise levels, double the violence, and double everything.

After the somewhat surprising success of the earlier part, it seems that the main objective of Rishab and team was to just to create a spectacle on the big screen. We can see the team’s somewhat laboured storytelling here. The repeated roars (displayed as primordial roars in the subtitles) are too loud for comfort and was wondering what would have happened in the theatre.

Of course, this is a film that must be seen on the big screen, as the entire framing of the scenes is designed to create a spectacle. To that extent, some of the underwhelming effect for me can be attributed to watching it on a computer screen. Having said that, in my opinion, it is a great opportunity lost for the makers in terms of pushing the envelope with a better storyline when budgets were not a constraint.

The film is by Rishab, for Rishab, and about Rishab. In terms of performance, he dominates the screen time with his immaculate screen presence and measured acting. Rukmini Vasantha, as the princess, also holds her own in a character that has an interesting arc.  

The film concludes in a way that leaves a window open for further chapters. Considering the success of this, Rishab and the producers may be tempted to dish out some more chapters in this universe. However, I feel that the novelty factor of the 1^st part is already missing in this, and any further extension of the brand will only dilute the Kantara brand. Kantara: Chapter 1 is a film that is high on craft and low on content, and therefore is an Okay watch. It is streaming on Amazon Prime.