CINEMATIC CONFLUENCE OF FAITH, FICTION AND FOLKLORE

‘We are all children of one great mother, Nature’ is a well-known Earth Day quote. That quote dovetails rather well with William Wordsworth’s quote of: “Nature never did betray the heart that loved her.”  

ಕಾಂತಾರ (Kāntāra, which translates to “Mystical Forest”) is a 2022 Kannada-language action thriller that explores man-nature conflict against the backdrop of culture and heritage. The critically-acclaimed film takes us through the eternal struggle between need and greed of humans. Oh…it was a commercial blockbuster and won myriad awards too!

The film starts with the story of a powerful, but respected ruler of a large, prosperous 19^th Century kingdom. Despite having a loving family and happy subjects, the ruler was desolate and depressed. So, he sets out aimlessly in quest for bliss, happiness and tranquility.

Eventually, the forlorn king finds inner peace and spiritual succor in a remote forest at a sacred stone, which inhabitants of the forest worship as the guardian Demigod, Panjurli. The King grants a large expanse of his land to the local people in exchange for that deified stone― a pact that gets him to covenant that none of his successors will ever reclaim the land. He is warned though that a repudiation of the promise would attract the wrath of Panjurli’s fiery alter ego, Guliga. 

Cut to the 20^th Century. The king’s descendant asserts title over the land and attempts to claim it through legal action against the local villagers; but he dies mysteriously at the portals of the local Court.

A few years later, a conscientious forest officer, Murali (Kishore) is directed to acquire the land granted by the king for declaring it as a forest reserve. But the move is fiercely resisted by the local villagers led by Shiva (Rishab Shetty), a proud and popular Kambala (buffalo racing) athlete and illegal logger and wildlife hunter.

Shiva’s daring defiance of the official diktat and open confrontation against Murali stems, in part, from the support of Devendra Suttooru (Achyuth Kumar), the local landlord and the king’s descendant. This conflict pits Shiva against Leela (Sapthami Gowda), a dutiful forest guard that he is head over heels in love with.

Devendra’s sidekick, Sudhakara (Pramod Shetty) joins hands with Murali and extends his assistance for nabbing Shiva. That is when the twist to the tale takes shape and Devendra’s ulterior motive of acquiring the forest lands gets revealed.

So then, does Shiva manage to evade arrest and escape prosecution? Do the villagers retain their dominion over the forest?

That makes up the rest of the mesmerizing tale that unfolds on celluloid…to entertain the audience with riveting sequences, compelling action and electrifying performances. The film races towards a stunning climax…that is spine-tingling!

Rishab Shetty’s direction is flawless. The screenplay drags in places; yet, the script is delightfully replete with repartee-filled dialogues and zingy one-liners. But, the action scenes surely could have been more compact.

Arvind Kashyap’s camerawork contributes actively to the narration; it captures the vivid grandeur of the flora and the exotic artforms, in particular Bhuta Kola (a ritualistic ‘Spirit Dance’), of coastal Karnataka. The background music by B. Ajaneesh Loknath titillates…nay, elevates the soul!

Rishab steals the show with his acting prowess. He excels in the portrayal of Shiva, the high-machismo-index, alpha-male character… one that required the striking a sublime balance in rustic charm, rural naivete and righteous arrogance. Little wonder then that he was conferred with the National Best Actor Award.

Kishore too is outstanding as the upright, no-nonsense forest ranger. As the female lead and Rishab’s love interest, Sapthami Gowda however is reduced to an attractive lamppost…a facet inherent in her miniscule and marginalized role.

The rest of the versatile cast of Achyuth Kumar, Pramod Shetty, Prakash Thuminad, et al is flawless too in capturing the tone, tenor and timbre of their respective characters.

The clear winner though is the meticulously-molded masterpiece that brings myth and mysticism to a movie that has a thematic message!

I rate this social drama: a very high 8.5 on 10!