Kantara (2022 film)

Kantara (transl. Mysterious forest, also known as Kantara: A Legend) is a 2022 Indian Kannada-language action thriller film written and directed by Rishab Shetty, and produced by Vijay Kiragandur and Chaluve Gowda under Hombale Films. The film stars Rishab Shetty in a dual roles as Kaadubettu Shiva and Annappa, along with Sapthami Gowda, Kishore, and Achyuth Kumar.

Blending elements of coastal Karnataka folklore, spirit possession rituals, and divine belief systems, the story centres around Bhuta Kola, a traditional form of worship practiced in the region. It follows a Kambala champion who clashes with an upright forest officer, leading to a larger conflict involving sacred land, ancestral legacy, and the balance between nature and man-made law.

Set and filmed in Keradi in coastal Karnataka, principal photography began in August 2021. The cinematography was handled by Arvind S. Kashyap, with music composed by B. Ajaneesh Loknath. The action sequences were choreographed by Vikram More, and the production design handled by debutant Dharani Gange Putra.

The film was released on 30 September 2022 to critical acclaim, with praise for its cast's performance (particularly of Shetty and Kishore), direction, background score, and portrayal of native mythology and traditions. It became one of the highest-grossing Kannada films of all time. A prequel, titled Kantara: Chapter 1, was released on 2 October 2025.

The film was featured at the 54th International Film Festival of India in the Indian Panorama section, where it won the Silver Peacock - Special Jury Award. At the 70th National Film Awards, Rishab Shetty won the Best Actor Award and the film received the Best Popular Film Award.

Plot

In 1847, a king in coastal Karnataka lives with his loving wife and children but does not find peace. He sets out on a journey to discover spirituality and bliss. He comes upon a holy stone in a forest occupied by the demigod Panjurli, who protects the forest's villagers. The king donates a vast portion of his land to the villagers in exchange for taking the holy stone with him. Panjurli warns through a human-medium, that his companion, the ferocious demigod Guliga, won't forgive the king if he fails his word,

In 1970, the king's descendant asks a Bhoota Kola performer, who is possessed by Panjurli, for the land back. Annappa (Rishab Shetty), the performer asks him to return the peace blessed upon his ancestors. He warns that if the issue is taken to court, the Daiva will deliver his verdict on the court's steps. When the descendant doubts if the performer is possessed by Panjurli, the performer replies he would vanish if he is possessed. He runs into a forest and is never seen again. Some time later, the king's descendant dies mysteriously on the steps of a court.

20 years later, Murali, a forest officer, is tasked with converting the villagers' land into a forest reserve. However, he is challenged by Shiva but full name is Kaadubettu Shiva (also Rishab Shetty), a Kambala athlete and the missing performer Annappa's son from the Kaadubettu village. Shiva is backed by his patron and the village's landlord, Devendra Suttooru, descended from the king. Although Shiva has repeatedly been asked to perform the Bhoota Kola, he refuses due to the trauma of his father's disappearance. Instead, his cousin, Guruva, takes his place. Murali and his staff start erecting a fence along the earmarked forest reserve, and Shiva falls in love with his childhood friend, Leela. He uses his connections with Devendra to appoint her as a forest guard. The villagers try to stop the fencing, but the police and forest guards (including Leela) brutally suppress them, creating a rift between Leela and Shiva even though she was following orders.

As the feud between Murali and Shiva intensifies, Murali decides to arrest Shiva and his friends and heads to their hideout along with Devendra's henchman, Sudhakara. While en route to arrest him, Murali's jeep accidentally gets crushed by the trunk of a tree being cut by Shiva. Murali is injured severely. Shiva and his companions go underground, but return to the village a few days later. Shiva makes up with Leela and tells her that he will surrender. However, all of them are caught by the police and forest guards the next morning. Guruva asks Devendra to bail Shiva out. Devendra offers to bribe him to impersonate being possessed by Panjurli in the next Bhoota Kola and order the villagers to hand over the land. Guruva refuses, and Devendra kills him.

When confronted by Shiva about Guruva's killing, Devendra pins the blame on Murali. Shiva learns the truth from his blacksmith friend Mahadeva. An intoxicated Shiva is attacked by Devendra's henchmen, but he fights them away. Murali tells the villagers about Devendra's plan to seize their lands. Shiva and Murali unite the village. Devendra and his henchmen arrive at the spot and attack, leading to an intense battle where several of the villagers are killed. After nearly dying in the fight, Shiva hits his head against Panjurli's holy stone. Guliga then possesses him, supernaturally empowering him to kill Devendra and his henchmen.

A few months after the battle, Shiva performs the Bhoota Kola and is possessed by Panjurli and Leela is shown to be pregnant. Shiva, Murali and the villagers join hands in a symbolic gesture. Shiva disappears into the forest after meeting what seems to be his father's spirit. In a mid-credits scene, Shiva and Leela's son asks Sundara about his father's disappearance.

Cast

Production

Development

Director Rishab Shetty cited the conflict between nature and human beings as the theme of the film, while adding specifically that the strife between forest officers and the inhabitants in his hometown Keradi, Karnataka, in the 1990s, as the source of inspiration for the film. He further added, "It is a film from our land, from our roots, stories that are heard through generations, untapped and deeply rooted to our culture". Shetty conceived the story in 2021 during the COVID-19 lockdown. Elaborating on the title of the film, he said, "Kantara is a mysterious forest and this is a story that happens around the area... The film title has a tagline calling it a dhanta kathe or a legend. I did not want to give the film a straight or direct title. The word is not used often. While it has Sanskrit origins, it is used in Kannada too. It is used in Yakshagana too, where we call a very mysterious forest Kantara".

Filming

The film had to present three timelines: 1847, 1970s and 1990s. Since many references through books were not available, the makers took the help of the tribes residing in Keradi where it was also filmed. Costume designer Pragathi Shetty stated that the makers "travelled the entire village and met the tribal community, who gave details about their dress". She added, "We had most of the junior artists roped in from Kundapura, and it was a challenge for me to convince them to wear tribal costumes. We also took reference to design the costume for the forest guard, played by Sapthami Gowda. We heard each year, the colour of the uniform would change, and everything, including the badges was customised". Filming took place in four forest locations in the area which included a set being built reflecting the 1990s. Art director Darani Gangeputra said, "A lot of natural sources were used to create the setups", further adding, "apart from this, we created a school, temple, and a tree house. We had 35 people from Bangalore and 15 people from the Keradi village, who helped us to study the culture". The set involved a village, including rustic homes with cowsheds, coops for hens, courtyards, areca plantations and an authentic Kambala racetrack. Shetty learned about the intricacies of Kambala and trained for four months before performing the sequence for the film in early 2022.

Music

The music of the film was composed by B. Ajaneesh Loknath. Alongside him, 30–40 musicians were brought in. Mostly involving folk music represented using Jaanapada songs using traditional instruments, the team took was assisted by Mime Ramdas. Songs usually sung by common people during crop harvest and those popular among the tribals of the area were used as a part of the album and the background score.

The band Thaikkudam Bridge filed a lawsuit against the filmmakers, claiming the song "Varaha Roopam" was plagiarised from the band's song "Navarasam". When the film was released on Amazon Prime, the song was modified with a new orchestral arrangement and vocals while the lyrics remained the same. The case was quashed by the Kerala High Court in 2023 after the parties involved reached a private settlement, and the original song was returned to the movie.