Kantara

Trailer, Teaser & Videos

Poster & Photos

Movie Details

Cast & Characters

• Rishab Shetty in a dual role as
  • Kaadubettu Shiva, Kantara’s son and a Kambala champion, gets possessed by Guliga Daiva and Panjurli Daiva
  • Kantara, Shiva’s father and a Daiva Kola performer
• Sapthami Gowda as Leela, Shiva’s Love interest
• Kishore as Murali, a Deputy Range Forest Officer (D.R.F.O)
• Achyuth Kumar as Devendra Suttooru
• Pramod Shetty as Sudhakara
• Prakash Thuminad as Raampa
• Manasi Sudhir as Kamala, Shiva’s mother
• Naveen D. Padil as Lawyer
• Suchan Shetty as Ravi
• Swaraj Shetty as Guruva, Shiva’s cousin
• Deepak Rai Panaaje as Sundara
• Shanil Guru as Bulla
• Pradeep Shetty as Mohana
• Rakshith Ramachandra Shetty as Devendra’s Henchman
• Prabhakar Kundar as Madhavacharya, Swordsmith
• Chandrakala Rao as Sheela, Sundara’s Wife
• Sukanya as Ammakka, Devendra’s Wife
• Sathish Acharya as Tabara, Leela’s Father
• Pushparaj Bollar as Garnall Abbu
• Raghu Pandeshwar as Raghu, Forest Officer
• Mime Ramdas as Naaru
• Basuma Kodagu as Guruva’s father
• Ranjan Saju as Lacchu
• Rajeev Shetty as Rajeev Bhandari
• Atish Shetty as Devendra’s specially-abled son
• Radhakrishna Kumbale as a native resident
• Naveen Bondel as Demigod Interpreter

Storyline

Set in the fictional village of Dakshina Kannada, a fiery young man clashes with an unflinching forest officer in a south Indian village where spirituality, fate, and folklore rule the lands.

About Kantara Movie

Kantara is a Kannada action thriller film written and directed by Rishab Shetty, who also stars in a dual role as a Kaadubettu Shiva and Kantara, Shiva’s father. The film was produced by Vijay Kiragandur, under the banner of Hombale Films.

Set and filmed in Keradi, a village in coastal Karnataka, Kantara captures the region’s rich cultural essence. Principal photography began in August 2021, with filming taking place across four forest locations in the area. A 1990s-inspired set was meticulously constructed, featuring a school, temple, and treehouse. Art director Darani Gangeputra highlighted the use of natural materials for the setups, adding that a team of 35 from Bangalore and 15 locals from Keradi collaborated to authentically represent the culture.

The set involved a village, including rustic homes with cowsheds, coops for hens, courtyards, areca plantations, and an authentic Kambala racetrack. Rishab Shetty learned about the intricacies of Kambala and trained for four months before performing the sequence for the film in early 2022.

Bhooth Kola, also referred to as daiva kola, is a ritual dance performance prevalent among the Hindus of Tulu Nadu and parts of Malenadu of Karnataka and Kasargod in northern Kerala, India. The dance is highly stylized and held in honor of the local deities worshiped by the Tulu-speaking population.

The entire film was completed in just 96 days, with a production budget of ₹16 crores.

In an interview, Rishab Shetty revealed how the movie was not meant to be released on a pan-India scale. It was only after the movie was met with unprecedented success regionally, that it was released all across India in multiple languages.

Manasi Sudhir who played Shiva’s (protagonist) mother is of the same age as Rishab Shetty.

The film garnered widespread acclaim from critics and audiences alike, including Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, megastar Amitabh Bachchan, and superstar Rajinikanth, among others. The latter gifted director/actor Rishab Shetty with a gold souvenir at his residence. Hindi film actress Kangana Ranaut, filmmaker Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, Vivek Oberoi, and Suneel Shetty also expressed their ecstatic experience of watching the film.

Kantara was released on 30 September 2022 to critical acclaim, with praise for its cast performances (particularly those of Shetty and Kishore), direction, soundtrack, and the portrayal of Bhuta Kola.

Kantara became a major commercial success, ranking as the second-highest-grossing Kannada film of all time, following K.G.F: Chapter 2, which was released the same year. It also secured its place as the fourth highest-grossing Indian film of 2022.

A prequel titled Kantara: A Legend Chapter 1 has been announced and is currently in development. The film is scheduled for a worldwide release on October 2, 2025.

Where to Watch Kantara Movie Online?

Netflix

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Amazon Prime Video

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Budget & Box Office Collection

Soundtracks

The film features a soulful soundtrack that complements its cultural and mystical themes. The music was composed by B. Ajaneesh Loknath. Here’s the list of songs from the Kantara movie:

Awards & Nominations