Rishab Shetty’s 2022 film, Kantara helped him win a National Award, and it was a superhit film of that time. However, the second part of the film, Kantara Chapter 1, left fans highly in awe of his acting and giving life to the mythological drama looked as if it were happening all in real time. The film was released on October 2, 2025, and within a few hours of its release, fans are hailing it as a blockbuster hit. It is worth mentioning that Rishab Shetty is the writer and director of Kantara Chapter 1.
Kantara Chapter 1 story explained
Kantara Chapter 1 is the prequel of the superhit film, Kantara. The film takes you back to the Kantara land and shows what happens when the tribe and the Bangara kingdom clash due to their differences. Gulshan Devaiah, who plays ‘Kulasekhara’, is the new king of the Bangara kingdom. On the other hand, Rishab Shetty as ‘Berme’ is the leader of the Kantara tribe.
The film further shows how the daring ‘Berme’ secretly enters Bangara with his tribe. After this, the story shows how the tribe had a fight with the Bangara Kingdom. The film is undoubtedly the best in terms of technical work. Rishab Shetty teamed with Hombale Films and delivered stunning visual frames, making it a must-watch.
Rishab Shetty is the centre of the film, not just as a director, actor or writer, but also in his portrayal during the divine possession and the trance sequences shown in the film. The film showcases VFX of animals that make you pause, as the team pulls off fantastic visuals that appear incredibly realistic.
Performance of Rishab Shetty and the other star cast
Rishab Shetty deals with the mythological aspect of the film with excellence. He gave a phenomenal performance throughout the film. His transformation as ‘Guliga’, one of the avatars, is outstanding and makes the storyline more intriguing. On the other hand, Rukmini Vasanth delivered an amazing performance as ‘Kanakavathi’.
Malayalam actor, Jayaram as ‘Rajasekhara’, the king of Bangara Kingdom, made his presence felt with his role. Gulshan Devaiah also did amazing in his role. However, fans think that someone who looked more ferocious and ruthless would be a better casting for the role of ‘Kulasekhara’.
Kantara Chapter 1 is hailed as a technical masterpiece, with its perfect frame intact until the climax. The music, cinematography, choreography of action scenes and the visual effects helped make the film a cinematic wonder on the big screen. The film was shot in real locations, despite the logistical challenges.
Arvind S. Kashyap’s cinematography, combined with editing by K.M. Prakash and Shobith Shetty, brought Rishab Shetty’s vision to life. It seems like everyone put in extra effort to make the film a super-hit blockbuster pan-India. The film has been released pan Indian in Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam as it blends spirituality, regional folktales and action together, making it one of a kind.
It is worth mentioning that, according to reports, Rishab Shetty has not received a single payment for his work. According to a report by Siasat, Rishab didn’t take a single rupee as payment for his work in the film. So, in other words, Rishab Shetty would get his earnings from the movie’s box office performance. It is also worth noting that Kantara: Chapter 1 had a massive budget of Rs. 125 crore, and Rishab is also an investor in the film.
What do you think about Kantara Chapter 1?
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