Suniel Shetty reviews Kantara Chapter 1: Only a man possessed and obsessed with his roots could have created something this powerful
Suniel Shetty reviews Kantara Chapter 1: Kantara Chapter 1 didn’t just move Suniel Shetty, it went to his veins, giving him goosebumps, tears, pride, peace… all at once
Last Updated: 05.33 PM, Oct 10, 2025
The outpouring of love and praise for actor-filmmaker Rishab Shetty’s Kantara Chapter 1 is far from over. The Kantara prequel has taken the nation by storm and registered a Rs 509 cr Week 1 worldwide box office . The latest to join the long list of Kantara admirers is Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty, who has roots in Mangaluru, where the folklore of the film is from. It’s a subject he relates to, so it is no wonder that Suniel could not stop showering the film with love.
Kantara Chapter 1, a film that makes one feel his/her roots, says Suniel Shetty
Even though he caught the film a week late, Suniel said that the film didn’t just move him, but went straight to his veins, giving him goosebumps, tears, pride, peace… all at once. It’s a mark of real cinema, which should make one feel his/her roots, he reckoned. Stating that the film will stay with him for a long time, Suniel wrote, “Only a man possessed and obsessed with his roots could have created something this powerful.”
In the days since the film’s release, Rishab and team received praise galore from the likes of Prabhas, Ram Gopal Varma, Anupam Kher, Sandeep Reddy Vanga, Nivin Pauly, Yash, among others. Interestingly, Rishab’s erstwhile collaborators Rakshit Shetty and Raj B Shetty are yet to post anything about the film. Rakshit and Rishab exchanged congratulatory notes, with the former over Kantara Chapter 1’s formidable success and the latter for the Best Actor award that Rakshit got.
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 hit theatres on October 2, 2025. Chapter 1 is the prequel of the original film and explores the origins of daivaradhane in the Tulunadu region.
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 hit theatres across the world on 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.