Kantara - A cinematic retelling that made us rediscover the culture of Tulunadu

Kantara - A cinematic retelling that made us rediscover the culture of Tulunadu

Written and Directed - Rishab Shetty

Producer - Vijay Kirangadur 

Starring - Rishab Shetty, Sapthami Gowda, Kishore, Achyuth Kumar, Shine Shetty.etc

Music - B. Ajaneesh Loknath

Cinematographer - Arvind S Kashyap

Editor -K.M Prakash, Shobith Shetty

Stunts - Vikram Mor

Storyline - Kaadbettu Shiva, a Kambala Athlete has a beef with DRF Officer Murali. He is the son of Annappa, a Bhuta Kola performer who went missing and the trauma bars him from carrying on the legacy. 

My Review -

Hombale Films which has been based in Bangalore has become synonymous with resurrecting Kannada Cinema. From making the big gangster epic franchise KGF, they went a step ahead in producing a spiritual action drama film named Kantara - A Legend. Released on September 30, 2022, this film became a surprise hit at the box office and caught the attention of so many people across Karnataka and even South Indian states like Kerala, Tamilnadu, Andhra and Telangana. 

Performances -

Rishab Shetty stole the show as the actor in which he played to his strength. His performance turned out to be the highlight during the last half an hour that left me stunned. Sapthami Gowda impressed as Leela. Kishore brought in a neatly layered performance and his talent spoke volumes. Achyuth Kumar gave us an unexpected twist as a landlord who is revealed as the villain with a subtle but terrifying performance.

Technicalities - 

It is not easy to direct yourself as an actor but Rishab Shetty literally proved that this was a cakewalk for him. He pulled out all stops as a writer, director and actor bringing out a one man show. His wife Pragathi Shetty also played a role in designing the costumes that were so rooted to the 3 timelines that the film had been set in. 

Dharani Gange Putra might be a newcomer but the set design he did was so amazing that he reminds us of Sabu Cyril who designed the Bahubali Franchise. The stunts by Vikram Mor were so rooted but commercially well done. Aravind S Kashyap brought authenticity to the frames and shots. K,M Prakash and Shobith Shetty did a great job in handling the cuts of the film.

The script blended the old traditions of Tulu Nadu by integrating Bhuta Kola as a folk art of worship and Kambala as a sport together to project Shiva's rage. It brought out the ego tussles between Shiva and Murali to the forefront that we were rooting for him.  This film also portrayed the worship of Panjurli and Guliga Daivas so perfectly in a scene when the king asks for the deity which will grant him peace and the deity through a medium says that he will come and in return the king should grant the land where his voice carries and if any one of his decedents goes back on the word, they would be punished by Guliga Daiva who is ferocious.  

B Ajaneesh Loknath proves that he is the big daddy when it comes to making songs and bgm that blend folk music and carnatic music. Varaha Roopam deserves special mention as it blended carnatic music, hard rock and throat singing from Tibet.

Bottom Line - The best film ever made.

IMO - It deserves a rewatch. 

Dude Review - A well Balanced Socio - Romantic - Comedy

Dude Review - A well Balanced Socio - Romantic - Comedy

Movie Name: Dude

Story, Screenplay, Dialogues and Direction - Keerthiswaran

Produced By - Mythri Movie Makers

Starring - Pradeep Ranganathan, Mamitha Baiju, Sarathkumar, Rohini, Neha Shetty and Satya

Cinematography - Niketh Bommi

Editor - Bharath Vikraman

Music - Sai Abhyankar

Every Diwali, we see so many stars dominating the box office. Last year's Diwali saw Sivakarthikeyan take over with Amaran. This Diwali was different as it saw the new generation take over. 3 Films; Diesel, Dude and Bison hit the screens. I saw Dude yesterday and here are my thoughts.

A Hyderabad based producthon house Mythri Movie Makers well famed for Pushpa Series have already made their presence felt with their 1st release in 2025, Good Bad Ugly which was already a larger than life gangster comedy. Now they have produced this project and the way the film went made us feel that Mythri Movie Makers are known to bankroll films that have balanced content and commerce. 

Keerthiswaran's debut as a director with a socio-romantic-comedy shows a lot of promise with a daring script that blends the social issue of honour killings with love and hilarious comedy that left us rolling on the floor laughing. This comes from a fact that he has worked as an assistant under Sudha Kongara. No doubt Sudha Kongara would be proud of her disciple. 

Pradeep Ranganathan plays the lead role with great aplomb and adds his own style of comedy. In some scenes, he has displayed emotional maturity. Pradeep Ranganathan gave us an amazing performance. Mamitha Baiju has brought in her infectious energy and balanced it so well. Sarath Kumar, the supreme star has impressed with his hilarious villainy and has balanced his humour with emotions of anger and later redemption. Rohini no doubt impresses. Kudos to Neha Shetty and Satya for bringing in humour.

Niketh Bommi of Soorarai Pottru has given colourful frames with his captures. Bharath Vikraman impresses with his cuts. The fight choreography by Yannick Ben and Dhillip Subbrayan have added enough weight to make the fights seem massy but rooted with humorous elements. The script and dialogues are neat and well package. My favourite scenes are the intro scene where Pradeep's character ends up in a fight after accidentally removing the nuptial thread and the hospital scene where Pradeep tells Sarath that There should be respect for the girl's feelings before tying the knot. Sai Abhyankar who impressed with his indie hits makes a pucca entry into K-town and his music literally became a trend. Oorum Blood, the first single is indeed on the trend setting list of songs. Sai Abhyankar is a trendy maestro in the making.

Overall, A well balanced socio - romantic - comedy

IMO -This film is a daring attempt that hits the bull's eye