Kantara ( transl. Mystical Forest) is a 2022 Indian Kannada language action thriller film written and directed by Rishab Shetty and produced by Vijay Kiragandur under Hombale Films. The film stars Rishabh Shetty in a dual role opposite Kambala Champion, who has a feud with Murali, an honest forest officer.
Kantara is a vast, mysterious jungle, the jungle plays an important role in Kantara. The people of the city live like children of the forest, on one hand, they mingle with it. However, the forest officer has decided to protect the forest with utmost dedication. This is so that not even a single piece of wood is removed from it and no one can capture it. It also includes the misdeeds of a lustful politician Devendra (Achyut).
Shiva (Rishabh) always fights for the village, and Muralidhar (Kishore), who says the law applies to all, is not going to stand for anyone. The main theme of Kantara is the encroachment of forest land, the plunder of forest wealth, and conflicts between forest officials and villagers.
Rishabh Shetty has done an excellent job as an actor and storymaker, and DOP Arvind Kashyap’s visuals, color tones, and frames are a delight to watch. The background music of Ajaneesh Loknath also adds to the overall impact of the film.
