Review and Analysis of the impact of the Film “Kaantaara” – Modern day Epic in the making

Vasu Murthy

Introduction:

Film Kaantaara has captured the imagination of people in India and abroad like no other film this year. It is another groundbreaking film like Kashmir files that changed the perspective of how cinemas are viewed in the country. Film Kaantaara has broken fresh ground on how the local religious and cultural practices like “Bhoota Kola” in the South Kannada district of Karnataka are shown in an authentic and powerful way on the screen. We will discuss later why this film is resonating so much with the film viewing public in India and abroad. The film seems to have crossed the Rs 350 crore (Approx. $43 M) mark as we write this and is on its way to become one of the biggest blockbusters of all time in India. The film has become popular mainly by word of mouth publicity.

Daiva Aradhane is loosely translated into Demi-gods, but it is really an untranslatable word. Daivas are usually traced to ganas of Shiva. There are Daivas related to nature, animals or puranic characters. Bhoota Kola is the ritual consisting of poojas, dance and a person that Daiva speaks through.

Modern Day Epic in the making:

The unique feature of the film is that the concept of Daiva or Bhoota kola is an integral part of the script and how the film is put together.  As people have said, there are other films that show the conflict between Forest Dept, Landowners, and indigenous people of the land.   This film makes the Daiva or Bhoota Kola also a part of the whole story.  The Daiva is a frequent theme occurring in the entire movie. 

 Brilliant screenplay by Rishabh Shetty creates a giant canvas that puts all the elements together.  Excellent Cinematography by Aravind Kashyap gives the feel of an Epic narrative.  Some of the night time cinematography sequences are truly spectacular. Rishabh Shetty  has acted at a high level and brings the main role of Shiva into life in a spectacular fashion.  Kishore Kumar as Forest Officer Kumar stands out among excellent performances by all the supporting actors. Buffalo racing called Kambala is also depicted well in the movie. Music by  Ajaneesh Lokanath brings critical scenes alive.  Song Varaha Roopam is on everyone’s lips now and makes the climax sequences alive. Music for the final Climax scene is well done. Climax scene is giving goose bumps experience to lot of people.

The Direction by  Rishabh Shetty brings all the elements together into a coherent package.  The fight sequences and the Kambala scenes are very well produced.Humor has been used in appropriate places in the middle. There is also a love story that has been handled well. There are very few weak parts in the movie.  The movie has been produced with a low budget of approx. Rs 16 crores (Approx. $2M), but has the look and feel of a big budget movie.

Why is the Film is resonating with Public:

The film is resonating with people across India and across the world.   The concept of Daiva is treated in an authentic manner with reverence and confidence.    Rishabh Shetty’s family practices the Daiva Aradhane and it is an integral part of their lives.  He has brought that authenticity, reverence and confidence in that tradition to the depiction in the movie.  The movie has shown that Daiva Aradhane is such a unifying part of people’s lives in South Karnataka part of Karnataka.  

There is similar Daiva Aradhane in different parts of India. This concept is very familiar to people all over India and even outside India. This is the first time that Daiva Aradhane has been shown in such an authentic way. This depiction is speaking and connecting to people’s hearts in a very direct way. This is one of the main reasons why the film is a phenomenal success. Normal depiction of Hinduism in Bollywood is in a negative way that does not resonate with the many Hindus. This authentic, reverent depiction of Daiva Aradhane and other local practices in this movie is resonating in a big way with the public.

Writer J. Sai Deepak has explored this concept in this video which is partly in Hindi. (https://youtu.be/8FnQDGlHkDM ). In the comments of the video we can see that people from all over India are commenting that Daiva Aradhane is similar to practices in their region in Himachal Pradesh and other portions of North India and that they have been deeply touched by the film. In Vaishnava tradition in Karnataka, there is a tradition that worships Godess Amba bhavani where similar tradition and customs happen. This film has given voice to all the indigenous traditions across India and around the world. This is the one of the reasons for the success of the film.

Movie representing Hindu Culture, Tradition and Faith

People are feeling proud that the movie is representing the Hindu culture, tradition and faith in God and Daiva in a respectful way. People are saying that this is more than a movie. People are sitting with folded hands during the climax scene. People are getting goose bumps several times in this movie.

Rishabh Shetty and other film crew have said that there was an atmosphere of reverence in the set when the Bhoota Kola sequences were filmed. Rishabh Shetty has said that he had given up eating non-vegetarian food for a month when those sequences were filmed. He wears Dhoti to all the media interviews. He is living the experience of these customs and traditions. Crew members have said that they felt that they were guided by Daivas at several points in making the film. Music Director Ajaneesh Lokanath has said that he felt at one point that someone is telling him that music for the final climax scene was done and there is nothing more to be changed. All this is pointing to the fact that Daivas were influencing the movie in several ways.

All of this is making Kantara to be a very special film.