Kantara Chapter 1: Is Rishab Shetty’s Berme Tulunadu’s divine guardian Bermer? Shaneel Gautham explains…
Kantara Chapter 1: It has been speculated that Kantara Chapter 1 is an origin story, presumably of Panjurli Daiva. But does Rishab have something else up his sleeve?
Last Updated: 03.46 PM, Sep 24, 2025
When the trailer of Rishab Shetty’s Kantara Chapter 1 dropped, what caught the attention of Kannadiga audiences, especially in the Mangaluru belt, was the name of his character – Berme. It sparked intense speculation that the name has a deep connect with Tulunadu’s belief system, where Bermer is a powerful divine guardian. While Tulunadu is widely believed to have been created by Parashurama, there is one school of thought that the credit actually goes to Bermer. Irrespective, Bermer is considered one of the most powerful daivas. Is there a connect between Rishab’s Berme and the divine guardian Bermer?
Shaneel Gautham: Rishab's character is called Berme...
Ever since Kantara Chapter 1 was announced, there's been speculation that Rishab was set to present an origin story for the daiva Panjurli, who is referenced in the 2022 film. But going by the trailer, it seems that the actor-director has an even bigger ace up his sleeve, in the form of Bermer. Actor-writer Shaneel Gautham, who has co-written Kantara Chapter 1 along with Rishab clarifies that there is no reference of Bermer in the film. “The character’s name is Berme, that is all there is to it. There is no connect between Bermer and Berme; when you watch the film you will realize why he is named Berme,” Shaneel explained in conversation with FDFS Kannada.
He added that any reference to Parashurama or Bermer would require a deep dive into the subject, without which any onscreen representation could be termed wrong. “Once audiences watch the film, they will understand what we’ve tried to say in the film,” he said. The actor added that the intention of team Kantara was never to show their Daivas to the world and make money of it; they were only looking at telling a story, which a wide section of audiences saw and appreciated.
This time around, Shaneel says, the action sequences in Kantara Chapter 1 are likely to be a topic of discussion. “Each fight takes the story forward. You will get to see some of the best action sequences ever in Indian cinema in Kantara Chapter 1,” he said. As per the trailer of the film, the story revolves around the conflict between the people of Kantara and the local King, once they decide to stop paying him hefty taxes. And if that isn’t bad enough, Berme’s growing closeness to the princess Kanakavathi (Rukmini Vasanth) also becomes a bone of contention.
Written and directed by Rishab, Kantara has cinematography yet again by Arvind Kashyap and music by Ajaneesh B Loknath. The cast includes Gulshan Devaiah, Jayaram, Pramod Shetty, Prakash Thuminad, Rakesh Poojary, among others.
FAQs
Q. Where will Kantara Chapter 1 be available after the theatrical run?
A. Amazon Prime Video has acquired the post-theatrical streaming rights of Kantara Chapter 1. The film is expected to be available after 8 weeks.
Q. What is the budget of Kantara Chapter 1?
A. Kantara Chapter 1 has, reportedly, been made at a budget of around Rs 120 cr