Kantara Chapter 1 is a 2025 Kannada-language period mythological action drama written and directed by Rishab Shetty. It is dubbed into Telugu with the same title. The film has Rishab Shetty & Rukmini Vasanth playing the lead roles while Jayaram, Gulshan Devaiah, Pramod Shetty, Rakesh Poojari, Prakash Thuminad, Deepak Rai Panaje, Hariprashanth M G, Shaneel Gautham, Naveen Bondel & others are seen in important supporting roles. The music is composed by B. Ajaneesh Loknath, while the film is produced by Vijay Kiragandur & Chaluve Gowda under Hombale Films banner.
Story:
The film delves into the roots of the Kantara land, tracing its history and the tensions that rise between the native tribe and the Bangra kingdom. After Kulasekhara (Gulshan Devaiah) is crowned the new king of Bangra, his rule begins to clash with the traditions and spirit of the Kantara people.
On the other side, Berme (Rishab Shetty), the fearless leader of the tribe, takes it upon himself to safeguard their identity and land. Together with his fellow tribesmen, he secretly ventures into Bangra territory, leading to a powerful confrontation. The narrative unfolds as an epic face-off between the tribe’s way of life and the kingdom’s authority, capturing the essence of culture, resistance, and survival.
What about on-screen performances?
Rishab Shetty once again comes up with another award-winning performance as Berme. His efforts are seen in each and every scene of the film, and he just nails it in all the action sequences. He should be appreciated for putting in all the physical effort he had put in for the action sequences. Also, the way he transforms in the scenes where he possessed by the god and the trance sequences will surely give us goosebumps while watching them on the big screen.
Rukmini Vasanth emerges as the unexpected highlight of the prequel. She is not only the typical hero’s love interest, but her character is given meaningful scope and steadily grows in importance as the narrative progresses. By the time the film reaches its climax, she plays a pivotal part in driving the tension and drama. Rukmini gracefully pulls off her role with ease.
Bollywood actor Gulshan Devaiah, who plays the king Kulasekhara, is decent in his part, but his characterization is very poorly written.
Jayaram leaves a strong impression as the father of Kulasekhara. He also shines in the climax portions along with Rukmini.
All the rest of the supporting actors, including Pramod Shetty, Rakesh Poojari, Prakash Thuminad, Deepak Rai Panaje, Hariprashanth M G, Shaneel Gautham, Naveen Bondel & others are fine in their limited parts.
What about off-screen talents?
The story by Rishab Shetty had all the trappings to be a good action entertainer, but it is overly cooked with unwanted elements. Just like the first part, there is no proper flow to the plot as we do not get an idea where the story is heading.
The screenplay is engaging in parts. All the memorably designed sequences will keep us hooked to the screen, but the parts between these sequences are not up to the mark. In fact, the entire comedy portions fall flat, especially in Telugu. But once again, just as in the first part, the divine element is perfectly blended in the narrative, and these portions will leave us spellbound.
Director Rishab Shetty does an excellent job with his whole presentation. He makes sure this film is a grand visual spectacle on big screens with all his first-rate technical finesse in all departments. Had he reduced the film’s lengthy run time and narrated it in a faster manner, then this would have been a flawless film.
The Telugu dialogues are written well, and the Telugu dubbing is effective.
Ajaneesh Loknath’s background score is terrific, though it occasionally feels a bit loud. The songs, on the other hand, go well with the narrative and add great value.
Arvind S Kashyap’s cinematography is truly remarkable, bringing both style and intensity to the visuals. He frames the landscapes with grandeur, adding richness to the storytelling, while his handling of the action sequences is especially impressive, capturing the raw energy and scale with striking detail. His work ensures that every frame feels visually gripping and immersive.
The edit by Suresh needed to be more crisp as the overall length could’ve been reduced by nearly 20 minutes.
Special mention to the production design by Banglan, the costume designers, and the action/stunt choreographers for their extraordinary work in their respective departments.
The production values by Hombale Films are top-notch.
What’s Hot?
* Rishab Shetty’s Performance
* Rukmini Vasanth’s Performance
* Grand Visuals With Technical Brilliance
* Pre-Climax Twist & Divine Possession Episodes
* Chariot Chase Sequence In The First Half
* Well Designed & Neatly Choreogrpahed Action
* Good Songs & Background Score
* Cinematography & Production Values
* Extraordinary VFX/Graphics
What’s Not?
* Ineffective & Overly Packed Story
* Gulshan Devaiah’s Characterization
* Unnecessary & Flat Comedy Episodes
* Lengthy War Sequence At The End
Verdict: On the whole, Kantara Chapter 1 is one of the most technically brilliant films to come out in the recent pas,t with some extravagant visuals and top-notch VFX/Graphics. Along with Rishab Shetty’s award-winning performance and Rukmini Vasanth’s terrific portrayal, this film is a complete big-screen watch for its technical brilliance!!
Telugubulletin.com Rating: 2.75/5
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