Kantara Chapter 1 X (Twitter) reviews: Divine grand spectacle or lazy storytelling with no wow moments?

Kantara Chapter 1: Actor-filmmaker Rishab Shetty and Rukmini Vasanth have been receiving a lot of praise, but the film has polarised audiences

Rishab Shetty in Kantara Chapter 1

Kantara Chapter 1, the much-awaited prequel to 2022’s blockbuster Kantara, which propelled its director-actor Rishab Shetty to ‘Divine Star’ status, is in theatres. The film had a few paid premieres on October 1, and while the response then was largely positive, there were also remarks from those who didn’t buy into the hype this time around. By noon of October 2, it was clear that Kantara Chapter 1 had clearly divided audiences.

Mixed reviews for Kantara Chapter 1

With the film, Rishab follows the same template of the original – the villagers of Kantara are being tormented by an oppressor. While it was a landlord in Kantara, this time, it’s a tyrannical king and yet again, in the battle of good vs evil, the hero triumphs with a little help from the divine spirits guarding the forest. The difference, though, is in the scale. Rishab had a budget almost 10-fold that of the first film at his disposal and that shows on screen. The visuals at live locations, set pieces and VFX – everything’s far superior now.

The comments one sees on social media reflect this. Netizens, across board, are clearly taken in by the grandiose spectacle onscreen, but it is in the story and narrative that they are acutely polarised. The winning formula of the 2022 Kantara was the introduction of the daiva worship in Tulunadu, which was given a more mainstream Hinduism spin by equating the boar deity Panjurli with Vishnu’s Varaha avatar, while the hit, but problematic (there were plagiarism allegations) Varaharoopam song played.

Also read:

Kantara Chapter 1 movie review: Rishab Shetty goes all out in grand but bland sequel

This time too, Rishab banks on this formula, which is working for some, but not for others. From comments about the awesome divine experience to misrepresentation of daivas, it’s all there online. “This isn’t just cinema; it’s an experience. Mindblown,” wrote a netizen, while another didn’t feel that way, “The way they showed our Daiva’s didn’t feel right, which was a very disappointing. The story did not resonate with me as someone from Tulunadu.”

One aspect that netizens agree upon is that Rishab Shetty delivers stellar of a performance, with many opining that he will take home another National Award in 2027. His co-star Rukmini Vasanth also received a lot of praise for how she handled her character with great dignity.

Also read: Kantara Chapter 1 OTT release date: When and where to stream Rishab Shetty’s Kantara prequel post its theatrical run

FAQs

Q. Are Kantara and Kantara: Chapter 1 the same?

A. No, they are separate films in the same franchise, both written and directed by Rishab Shetty. Kantara released in 2022, while Kantara: Chapter 1 is expected to hit theatres on October 2, 2025. Chapter 1 is the prequel of the original film and is supposedly an exploration of the origin of the Panjurli Daiva, among others.

Q. What is the run-time of Kantara Chapter 1?

A. Kantara Chapter is 2 hours and 47 minutes in total run-time.

Q. Where can one watch Kantara Chapter 1?

A. Kantara Chapter 1 will be in theatres across the world from October 2, 2025. Subsequently, it will head to Amazon Prime Video on October 30, 2025, in Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.

Q. Whose avatar is Panjurli Daiva?

A. Panjurli Daiva is considered an avatar of Lord Vishnu in his Varaha incarnation. Panjurli, according to folklore, was a wild boar, who was slain by Lord Shiva and then revived to become a divine protector.

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