Coastal Karnataka, is a beauty that uncovers many hidden gems if you delve deep into its history and the richness of life here. The Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts boast of unique cultural and traditional grandeur in food, art, and rituals. Coastal Karnataka is home to great artistic talent. And this has become obvious in the kind of cinema that it has been contributing to the Kannada Film Industry of late. Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana, Charlie 777, and Vikrant Rona are some of the names in a fairly long list of cinematic perfection that the Sandalwood industry has been silently enjoying. Here is our Kantara movie review:
Kantara, a spellbinding piece of art
When Hombale Films released the poster and trailer of Kantara, it was hard to believe what the audience was in for. And what lay in front of our eyes was a true masterpiece, not unlike their very recent magnum opus KGF.
Kantara is humble, showing in explicit detail the nuances of simple village life. Where rice and pickle are an everyday staple, but sometimes even this basic meal cannot be afforded. The movie progresses like a dance. It kicks off with some vivid storytelling and eventually playing out the divine spectacle of the Bhoothakola.
Absolutely believable plotline with a riveting climax
The Bhootaradhana is a very powerful theme that artists down south here in India have the freedom to work with. Building a story around this requires exceptional talent. A lot of attempts have already gone into making a mainstream movie that highlights the cultural grandeur of spirit worship in the most respectful and realistic way possible. But movies like Rangitaranga may have failed to tell a story with a strong enough and believable climax.
However, the makers of Kantara expertly infused the sacrality of a ‘Darshana’ into a very believable plotline. The climax was absolutely intense, so much so that one of our fellow audience members had a fainting episode. We can’t blame her because the movie ended in the highest of spirits. We were concerned for her well-being and didn’t mind the ending scene being paused for about 10 minutes. It was surely a riveting experience, one that will remain unmatched for quite a while.
Our Final Verdict on Kantara Movie Review
Gone are the days when movies like Kantara would come and go amidst the noise created by over-hyped Bollywood movies. This movie was not released on a Pan-Asian level. We do believe the audience needs a certain level of awareness and spiritual sensitivity to stomach the essence of Spirit Worship depicted in all its glory. However, due to public demand, the movie is now headed for a pan-India release. Nonetheless, if we could rate more than 10 stars out of 10 for Kantara, we surely would!