The recently released Kannada film Kantara, stars Rishabh Shetty as Shiva, given below is the explained ending for fans who are curious but haven’t watched, along with other details of the film
The word โKantaraโ means the mystic forest and the film is an amalgamation of folklore with the story of a village that is protective of its surroundings.
Kantara Final Scene, Story, Spoilers And Ending Explained
#Kantara is cinematic scintillating experience one should not miss, captivating background score,brilliant cinematography, Splendidly directed & flawlessly acted by @shetty_rishab,the climax gave me goosebumps with moist eyes. I am just Spellbound.Congrats to the entire team.๐ pic.twitter.com/13R3KMZAFd
— Madhur Bhandarkar (@imbhandarkar) October 17, 2022
Watched #kantara ..totally totally loved itโค๏ธCongratulations to whole teamโฆu all weโre amazing๐thanks for all the experience @shetty_rishab @VKiragandur @hombalefilms @HombaleGroup @gowda_sapthami @AJANEESHB @actorkishore @KantaraFilm #KantaraInCinemasNow ..donโt miss it๐๐๐งฟ pic.twitter.com/RU68jiTnhY
— Anushka Shetty (@MsAnushkaShetty) October 16, 2022
The film was released in theaters on September 30, 2022. It stars Rishab Shetty, alongside actors like Sapthami Gowda, Kishore, Achyuth Kumar, and Pramod Shetty.
โKantaraโ Film Plot
โKantaraโ begins with a king seeking for peace and happiness within his palace. Eventually, he sets out on a pilgrimage and comes across a stone deity.
He drops his weapon, realizing that the deity Panjurli is the answer to attain happiness. Following the discovery, the King requests the villagersโ help in taking back the stone to his palace.
Meanwhile, the possessed Kola ritual performer informs him to take along the Guliga deity with him as well. He warns that Panjurli is forgiving but defying the exchange terms would bring about Guligaโs unforgiving wrath, to which the King agrees.
A century later, one of the Kingโs descendent demands the possessed performer to return the land to his family, and prove his godly powers.
The performer disappears into the forest immediately, just after he predicts the descendantโs untimely death on the court stairs.
Decades after the Kola performerโs disappearance, his son Shiva (Rishabh Shetty) emerges as a Kambala athlete. Shiva lives aimlessly, drinking alcohol, smoking ganja, and hunting wild boars. He doesn’t want to follow in his father’s footsteps.
He lives with his mother, uncle, and cousin, who has taken over the responsibility of being the Kola performer during every Bhoota Kola festival. Shiva and the entire village are on good terms with the landlord, the current descendent of the King.
Over time, a new forest officer, Muralidhar (Kishore), who is not interested in the villagersโ beliefs or customs is appointed. He only cares about preserving the forest and stops the locals from cutting down trees and other vegetation.
His interests clash with Shiva and the villagers. Meanwhile, Shivaโs girlfriend, Leela, also becomes a forest officer, forced to go against her townspeople and follow Muraliโs orders.
The clash between Shiva and Muralidhar forms the main base for the filmโs plot.
โKantaraโ Final Scene And Ending Explained
Read below to learn the explained ending and final scenes of Kantara.
In the filmโs final scenes, the tension between Shiva and Murali attains its peak when a huge tree in the forest falls on Muraliโs car, while he was headed to arrest Shiva after the landlordโs henchman, Sudhakara (Pramod Shetty) provided a tip.
The landlord instructs Shiva to run but he is soon arrested along with his friends. Things intensify when it is discovered that Shivaโs brother Guruvan the Kola performer has been murdered.
The landlord, Devendra Suttooru (Achyuth Kumar), is behind the murder because just like his father, he believes the villagers and the performer created a story to deprive him of his ancestral land.
However, the villagers, at this point, are unaware of this. Meanwhile, while making efforts to convert the forest into a reserved forest, Murali comes to know that the landlord has illegally taken control of the entire land in his name.
Shiva soon finds out about his brotherโs murder and the landlord bails him out to get Shiva by his side, while lying to him that Murali killed his brother.
However, Shivaโs mentor informs him the truth behind Guruvanโs murder and he heads back to inform the villagers.
There, Shiva finds Murali, who is already informing the villagers of the landlordโs misdeeds. Shiva joins hands with Murali as the landlord is on his way to kill the villagers, including Shiva and Murali.
Following a clash, Shiva passes out after getting severely wounded. Soon, the Guligan deity possesses him giving him immense strength and he decapitates the landlord and his henchmen.
The film ends with Shiva accepting his role as the Kola performer possessed by Panjurli for the Bhoota Kola festival. He yearns for peace between Murali and the other villagers. Shiva runs off to the forest and seemingly finds his father and disappears into the light.
Use Of Imagery In The Film
โKantaraโ involves a lot of hard to ignore visual imagery. Just like โKarnan โ and โTumbbad,โ each imagery has a meaning attached to it.
The recurring dreams of his father as the Guliga possessed performer is an indication that Shiva should carry forward the practice of a Kola performer for the festival.
Shiva also sees visions of his father screaming a divine sound that shakes him up while he is awake.
While Shiva hunts the boar with his friends, his mother repeatedly yells at him for not doing so, as the deity Panjurli comes from the third incarnation of Vishnu, Varaha.
Shiva, though, isnโt interested in performing but is attached to the village, villagers, and customs they follow.
At one point, he confronts Murali informing him that the forest belongs to the deity, and it doesnโt need any protection from anyone.
Writer Rishabh Shetty conveys the existence of divine power and the strength of the deity to eradicate everything wrong through various imagery.
Hidden Narratives
The folklore is infused so much into the narrative that it becomes inseparable. The horror and the supernatural elements come across beautifully, adding a layer to the storytelling.
The attachment the villagers have with the nature surrounding them is purely to continue the tradition they and their ancestors have been following for years, without any ulterior motive.
โKantaraโ projects nature as the binding force that protects the people who take care of them and the villagers who go miles to take care of them.
There is also a narrative explaining how the villagers are dependent on the forest for the vegetation, while Murali tries to stop the villagers from doing so.
This narrative asks questions about why villagers canโt collect produce from the forest when they spend most of their life protecting it. It is a cycle where they are all dependent on one another.
The Varaha Roopam Daiva Va Rishtam Song
The Varaha Roopam Daiva Va Rishtam song is a perfect addition to the movie. It talks about the deity’s emotional attachment to the village and the forest, and how the deity would go miles to protect it from evil forces.
The song sounds eerily like Thaikuddam Bridgeโs Navarasam. The Panjurli possessed performance throughout the film is a piece of art where the divine power shines effectively.
Just like how the King surrenders to it, viewers will also find themselves surrendering to the deityโs force. The divine scream that the Kola performer hurls also comes off as a sound backed by divine power.
Overall Review
โKantaraโ has so many good points to it. The cinematography by Arvind S. Kashyap gives a mystical and spiritual touch to โKantara.โ
The film uses fire and its elements to showcase it as the only power that leads to the right path. The screenplay and direction by Rishabh Shetty donโt slow down.
Viewers can expect a spiritual ride filled with folklore, mythology, and supernatural forces throughout the movie. Rishabh Shetty ensures that the underlying theme of the film remains the conservation and protection of forests.
Among the actors, Kishore as Murali, the forest officer, and Rishabh Shetty as Shiva stand out. Rishabh as the performer possessed by Guliga at the end in particular is a must watch.
Rishabhโs character embraces the deity with full force and brings out so much power through the performance.
Overall, the film does not disappoint at any point of time during its running time of 2 hours 30 minutes.ย Hopefully the above explained ending and final scenes gives viewers a reason to watch “Kantara”.
โKantaraโ is currently running in theaters and fans can soon watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
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