Released on September 30, Kannada movie ‘Kantara’ has registered itself as one of the best movies made in Bharatiya cinema across languages. In just 14 days of its release, Kantara has earned five times its making cost. The Hindi dubbed version was released pan-Bharat on Friday, October 14, and the Rishab Shetty and Saptami Gowda starrer recorded a phenomenal reception from Hindi audiences.
Apart from being a work of art that keeps audiences glued for two hours and thirty minutes, Kantara is a masterpiece that has Hindu beliefs and culture intertwined into its fabric. The film upholds rural Hindu philosophies and introduces non-Kannada speaking Hindu audiences to the spectacular Tulu folklore. Through his film, writer-director-actor Rishab Shetty has shown how Hindu spiritualism exists in the very soil of Bharat and the integral role it has in the lives of the common man, including janjatis/vanvasis (‘tribals’), of our country.
The legend of ‘Kantara’ revolves around the culture, history, and struggles of the janjati/vanvasi society and connects spirituality with the forest. The story of ‘Kantara’ highlights the modern-day tussle between forest officials, millennia-old forest/village dwellers and influential community landlords who have taken to more ‘modern’ lifestyles but lost touch with Dharmic roots in the process.
It also raises an important question: Do governments have to ‘teach’ the natives about living in harmony with nature, or are they the ones who need to take lessons? Are the timeless culture and traditions of indigenous Dharmic people – forest dwellers and villagers – just empty ‘superstitions’, or are they tools that teach us how to live in harmony with nature?
Bhagwan Parashurama is believed to have gone to the Sahyadri Mountains for the penance of Bhagwan Shiva. The latter directed him to the Kadali forest and told him he would take incarnation there. Upon reaching the Kadali forest, Parashurama raised the lands submerged in the sea and settled a civilization there. These areas are hence known as ‘Parshuram Srishti’.
Bhagwan Parashurama has established seven temples in Karnataka, which are regarded highly by the people. These are Sri Krishna Temple at Udupi, Kukke Subrahmanya, Vinayaka Temple at Kumbhashi, Mookambika Temple Shankaranarayana Temple, and Gokarna Shiva Temple.
The stretch of this coastal region spread across Goa, Kerala, and Karnataka, also referred to as ‘Parshuram Kshetra’ or Tulu Nadu is where the story of Kantara is based. ‘Kantara’ also upholds the significance of the ‘Bhoot Kola’ festival. The main dancer in the “Bhoot Kola” wears a mask representing the face of Sri Varaha, an avatara of Bhagwan Vishnu. The name of the devata (deity) with the Varaha face is ‘Panjurli.’ Panjurli is one such local deity that is worshipped with great reverence in this region.
The movie ‘Kantara’ encourages viewers to read more in-depth about this fascinating Tulu culture that has preserved the essence of Hindu Dharma.
This cinematic masterpiece lands as a resounding slap on those who keep asserting that the ‘bahujans’ (SC/ST communities) and vanvasis are separate from Hindus and challenges the peddlers of the discredited colonial Aryan-Dravidian theories. Forest dwellers are shown as ardent devotees of the Varaha avatar of Sri Vishnu, albeit in the form of a local forest deity Panjurli and its ugra (fierce, angry) form Guliga.
The background score keeps reiterating that Maha Vishnu is the greatest of all deities. Those running the sinister anti-Hindu propaganda should also understand that Shiva has been hailed as ‘Pashupati.’ Without the faith of these forest dwellers in the Hindu god, this expression “Pashupati” would not have come. ‘Kantara’ not only reinstates the faith in Hindu rituals that liberals and leftists dismissed as superstitions but encourages us to take pride in them.
The makers of Kantara met Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Friday. Posting about the cinematic marvel, Anurag Thakur tweeted, “I met the team of Hombale Films and wished them success for their film ‘Kantara’. He also talked about making Bharat the hub of the film world.
This article would remain incomplete without praising the ground-breaking performance of Rishab Shetty. He has proved that an actor doesn’t need six-pack abs or photoshopped appearances to win audiences. Unfortunately, no Bollywood artist of the present times can match the acting perfection he has showcased. Shetty effortlessly puts the overhyped “perfectionist” of Bollywood, Aamir Khan, to shame.
Bollywood has already made a mockery of Ramayana as the Adipurush trailer demonstrated; Saif Ali Khan has recently stated that he wants to act in the remake of Mahabharata. Bollywood must learn its limitations and know that it has no actor that can match the performance of Rishab Shetty as the deity Panjurli/Guliga in the climax scene of Kantara. Hence, recreating a Hindu God or attempting to bring our rich and profound itihasa and Dharmic stories to life is beyond their capacities. They should first look to end their Urdu obsession before attempting to reconnect with Bharat’s Dharmic ethos.
