The ending of Kantara: Chapter 1 returns us to the original film, a sequence in which young Shiva wonders what happened to the well that physically existed there many years ago, when the Naga tribe lived in harmony with nature, only to be forced to endure the invasion and destruction of the land they were supposed to protect.
The film is a winding tale of three cultures, two of which seem to drive the story about class and greed similarly to the original film; however, the third element is the Kadapa tribe, a people who seek to appropriate the power of the deities for themselves rather than worship them. At its core, it's a film about unity. It's about bringing people together to merge tradition with contemporary ideology. Kantara: Chapter 1 takes us directly into the heart of the Bangra Kingdom, a prosperous state with trade and all modern amenities, but with a powerful and greedy king.
Director: Rishab Shetty
Writers: Rishab Shetty, Anirudh Mahesh, Shanil Guru
Stars: Rishab Shetty, Jayaram, Gulshan Devaiah
The opening of the story of the past presents King Vijayndra, a prosperous but greedy king, desperate to go to the Eshwara Flower Garden. One day, he decides to take his son to Kantara. There, all his soldiers die in a mythical fire, leaving only the king and the boy alive. At first, it seems like a warning to Vijayndra, who will be released to tell the people of Bangra never to set foot in Kantara again, but Vijayndra is kidnapped and taken to the forest, leaving the boy with a burn on his face alive to tell the legend to his kingdom.
Vijayndra's son, Rajashekhara, who is expected to ascend the throne as a child, grows up fearing the world of Kantara. He builds walls and tells everyone never to go there, speaking of a Brahma-raksha who will bring destruction to anyone who does. However, his son is the complete opposite of everything Rajashekhara wishes him to be. He is unfair, greedy, and aggressively selfish, which drives him to yearn for what his father never could: to set foot in the Garden of Bloom. On the other hand, it seems that his younger sister, Kanakavati, a stillborn baby who was miraculously resurrected (more on that later), is the perfect heir to their father.
When Kanakavati was born, she was given to the Kadapa tribe. A woman fed her with her own breast milk, something that could be considered taboo for a tribal woman, but the power of her milk caused blood to flow through Kanakavati's veins. However, the Kadapa tribe takes on the role of caretakers for the baby for a time. It is then that their greed takes over the small, harmless baby. The blood of the greedy king and the milk of those who crave power, combined, make her a terrible villain, in my opinion.
The Kadapas live in a different part of the forest, under the protection of their master, who uses lorises to keep their area enchanted and prevent anyone from entering. However, Berme and his group arrive there after seeing trade in the kingdom of Bangra. Although he initially didn't know what was going on, after a period of observation and befriending Peppe, the son of the kingdom's main merchant, he realized he should do it too. After observing how well his own resources performed in trade, Berme decided to venture deeper into the forest to find more goods. It was then that he came face to face with the Kadapas. Interestingly, Berme isn't greedy, but rather arrogant and self-centered. This is what prompted him to visit the kingdom, as Kulashekara, the new king, decided to pay an unexpected visit to Kantara. To be fair, there wouldn't be a story to tell if he hadn't gone to the kingdom, but he is also partially to blame for the huge fight that breaks out. During his first confrontation with the Kadapas, Berme loses one of his men, but a tiger, protector of the forest and carrying out the will of the powerful god, protects Berme and kills one of the Kadapa men to save him. This makes it clear that Berme is no ordinary man; his supernatural powers come directly from the divine entity in which he believes so strongly.
But it is then that we discover that the Kadapas were binding the deity's power and using it for their own benefit. Because of this, Berme and his people heard a screeching noise as they tried to enter their territory. However, Berme releases the bond by freeing a loris, stabbed through the chest in a tree trunk. The Kadapas use black magic to bind the deity's powers, and Berme is the only one who can be possessed by Guliga to save the day.
Kulashekara's greed doesn't cease upon encountering the people of Kantara; in fact, he believes they are the ones who protect the Garden of Bloom, and since Berme had the audacity to come to his kingdom and trade, even bewitching his sister (although that's another story), Kulashekara decides to destroy their lands. Upon arriving there with his soldiers, he sets everything on fire, killing innocent people: children, women, and even the elderly. Baidi, Berme's adoptive mother, along with other elders of Kantara, begins to pray to Panjurli, wondering where their Ulaya is when they need him most. This is what drives Berme back to his homeland, speeding through the forest and arriving just in time to see Kulashekara kill his mother with a skillful cut to her throat, right before his eyes. But his prayers have been answered, and Berme is possessed by the deity who is supposed to protect the land and its people. Kulashekara initially believes Berme is putting on a show before realizing it's all real and being killed with a bite to his throat.
When Berme regains his senses, he sees the devastation caused by Kulashekara's arrogance. Meanwhile, the shivling that was supposed to be placed in the Bangra temple breaks, signifying the gods' displeasure. Kanakavati runs to Kantara to seek help from the people whose deity is angry with the people of Bangra. Berme doesn't want to join a culture that only seeks to destroy, but Kanakavti wonders if it's him or his deity speaking. Berme has no choice but to join forces with the people of Bangra. In any case, it seems he too was very much in love with Kanakavti. They rebuild the temple, doing everything right, worshipping their gods and appeasing them.
It's beautiful to see everyone working as a team, and although the king was greedy and selfish, the people were always kind and merciful. The temple is built, and the work of the Kantara people is complete. They return to their homes, which have now also returned to normal thanks to Sankappa, the architect of Bangra, who was rejected by his people and accepted by the Kantara people (he even gave them irrigation). However, shortly after their return, the young children of Kantara begin to fall ill. At the same time, Berme remembers his mother's wise words: "Never trust those who want to enter the Garden of Bloom." He himself has handed the deity's power on a silver platter to Kanakavati, the true villain of this story.
Berme's mother guides him to the well where he initially found himself. Importantly, it was protected by the tiger and seemed to have been born directly from the well itself. This well is the source of the god Shiva's energy. We don't know where Berme came from or who his parents were; was it just a gift for the people of Kantara? I'm not sure, but perhaps this is part of another story. Berme falls into the well where he was found while in a trance, guided by his dead mother. A wall collapses inside the cave he is in, and Berme is led to a shivling in the middle of a picturesque cave with waterfalls. However, he hears a sound that leads him to find a hybrid of man and beast: the Brahma-rakshas.
Berme fights the Brahma-rakshas, and during the struggle, the enormous beast throws him directly into the front of the linga, which has a trishul (trident) next to it. When Berme grabs the trident, the Brahma-rakshas realizes he is seeing the lord himself, as a snake, appearing out of nowhere, circles around him and takes its place around his body. An incarnation of the lord himself. With this, he also frees the Kadapa people, freeing the deities and saving his people. At the same time, Maayakaara, whom I can compare to the monkey in The Lion King who disappears with the wind, fights against the king, but at the last moment, he is killed by the Kadapa leader.
Berme and the Brahma-rakshas, in the form of a ferocious beast, then return to Bangra, where a war is raging between the Kantaras and Princess Kanakavati. Earlier in the film, while courting him, she had her women cut his nails and hair to make it look like she was grooming him, although it was all for a blood ritual to bind the deity and summon her greedy grandfather to possess his own father and give him the strength to fight Kantara's people. She is fearless because she has the support of Bangra's army and the black magic of the Kadapa tribe. But she is mistaken in believing she can take on the gods on her own. The tiger accompanies Berme and quickly kills the Kadapa leader.
What remains are Kanakavati and her father (well, her grandfather). Eyes blazing, she stands before her father, because she knows the deity would never kill a woman, the womb of nature itself. However, she is wrong once again, because while Guliga dares not touch a hair on his head, her sister Chavundi will not hold back (look, it's Dussehra). Chavundi takes form with a red flag around her shoulder and kohl lining her eyes from the ashes of the fire of destruction.
Kanakavati cannot save herself even if she tries. Berme, in the form of Chavundi, lifts the princess, brings her to her knees, and snaps her neck in one swift motion. She then uses the trident to kill the king (three generations, destroyed just like that). While this is a victory for Berme and her people, Kulashekara's daughter lives on. We've already seen a burning passion in her, which makes me wonder if she will be an important character in another installment of the film.
At the end of Kantara: Chapter 1, Berme returns to the well where he was found and throws himself into it in a trance. There is no trace of him. This well is the same place where Shiva and his father disappeared years later. The film ends with young Shiva wondering where the well went, but this is the beginning of the next installment, a legend for another time. However, there are things we can't ignore. Specifically, the words the narrator speaks to Shiva at the end of Berme's story. Finally, Shiva once again upholds the Dharma.
The death of the evil king and princess brings a light that will illuminate the past, present, and future. This is why the people of Kantara revere and trust the bhoot kola so much. This is a theory that came entirely from my mind, but I can't help but think the well is a fantastical element in films. I feel it's a time capsule that can stop time or merge past, present, and future. How it can do that, I'm still not entirely sure, but considering all the men disappear into this well, it probably means they converge somewhere, right? But tell me what you think of this theory.
On the other hand, this film again speaks to the divide between local tribes and invaders. Technically, the story isn't very different, as it's about protecting what exists in nature while we grow as people. It's about the harmony between the past and the future. About people coming together, despite their differences, to create a world of harmony. Ultimately, I hope I've managed to piece together the story and delve into some of the important details of this extravagant tale.
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