Kantara (2022)

A village on the edge of a forest, a dispute over land, and the folk ritual of Bhoota Kola.

Rishab Shetty, writer, director and star of Kantara, in 2023
Year
2022
Language
Kannada (also Hindi and others)
Director
Rishab Shetty
Starring
Rishab Shetty, Sapthami Gowda, Kishore, Achyuth Kumar
Also
Written, directed by and starring Rishab Shetty

The story

In a forest village in coastal Karnataka, the hot-headed Shiva clashes with a forest officer over the land the villagers depend on. Behind it all lies an old promise between a king and the village's guardian spirit, honoured each year in the Bhoota Kola ritual.

The film builds to a final sequence that audiences went back to see again and again.

Why it matters

  • It started as a regional Kannada release and became a national hit after it was dubbed into other languages.
  • It brought the Tulu Nadu ritual tradition of Bhoota Kola to a wide audience.
  • A prequel, Kantara: Chapter 1, followed in 2025.

Where to watch

Kantara is available on licensed streaming services in several languages. Availability changes from country to country and month to month; see how to find a legal stream. Please don't use pirate download sites: they are illegal in India and a common source of malware.

More films

Sholay (1975)Sholay (1975): the story, the cast, and why Ramesh Sippy's 'curry western' about Jai, Veeru and Gabbar Singh is still the most quoted Hindi film.Mother India (1957)Mother India (1957): Mehboob Khan's epic of a village woman's struggle, Nargis's landmark performance, and the film's Oscar nomination.Mughal-e-Azam (1960)Mughal-e-Azam (1960): K. Asif's lavish Mughal romance of Prince Salim and Anarkali, its famous colour song, and the 2004 colourised release.Pather Panchali (1955)Pather Panchali (1955): Satyajit Ray's first film, the opening of the Apu Trilogy, and why it changed how the world saw Indian cinema.Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ, 1995): the romance of Raj and Simran, and the film that has played at Mumbai's Maratha Mandir for decades.Lagaan (2001)Lagaan (2001): villagers take on British officers in a cricket match to escape a crushing tax. Story, cast and its Oscar nomination.