Trailer
Plot summary
In coastal Karnataka in 1990, forest officer Murali is posted to turn the land of a village into a forest reserve. Kaadubettu Shiva, a Kambala athlete, lives there with his mother and takes petty work from the landlord, Devendra Suttooru, a descendant of the king who once gave the village its land. Since his father Annappa vanished, Shiva has kept away from the Bhoota Kola, the ritual his family performs, and his cousin Guruva takes his place. Shiva loves his childhood friend Leela and helps her win a post as a forest guard. When the villagers move to stop Murali's men from fencing the reserve, the guards and police drive them back, Leela among them, which sets her and Shiva at odds.
Cast
- Manasi Sudhiras Shiva's Mother
- Naveen D. Padilas Lawyer
- Suchan Shettyas Ravi
- Shanil Guruas Bulla
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Kantara (2022)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The Kerala band Thaikkudam Bridge filed a lawsuit accusing the filmmakers of plagiarising its song "Navarasam" for "Varaha Roopam"; the Kozhikode District Sessions Court barred the song from streaming platforms, and the case ended in a private settlement, with the original returned.
- In response to Kantara, the Government of Karnataka introduced a monthly allowance for Buta Kola performers over the age of 60.
- Rishab Shetty said the film grew out of the real strife between forest officers and villagers in his hometown of Keradi, Karnataka, in the 1990s.
- The Hindi version's ₹12.7 crore eighth week was the highest eighth-week collection for a Hindi movie, breaking a 21-year-old record set by Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, and it earned 80 times its first day net collections.
