Kantara

Kantara

In 1847, a king in coastal Karnataka, despite living with his devoted wife and children, finds himself spiritually unfulfilled. Seeking inner peace, he embarks on a journey to self-discovery and encounters a sacred stone in a forest, inhabited by the demigod Panjurli, guardian of the local villagers. The king offers a significant 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, will not forgive any betrayal of his promise. In 1970, a descendent of the king demands the return of the land from Annappa, a Bhoota Kola performer possessed by Panjurli. Annappa asserts that the land rightfully belongs to the villagers and warns that any attempt to challenge this claim will invoke divine retribution. When questioned whether the warning comes from him or Panjurli, Annappa cryptically suggests that if he is merely human, he will reappear, but if it is Panjurli, he will not. He then vanishes into a circle of the fire in the forest, and subsequently, the king's descendent dies on the steps of the courthouse. Twenty years later, in 1990, forest officer Murali is assigned to convert the villagers' land into a forest reserve. He encounters opposition from Kaadubettu Shiva, a Kambala athlete and son of the missing Annappa. Shiva is supported by the village landlord, Devendra Suttooru, a descendent of the king.

Director

Rishab Shetty

Release

30 Sep 2022

Run time

148 min

Language

Kannada