Headlined and helmed by Rishab Shetty, Kantara broke several box office records and earned over Rs 400 crore globally.
The 2022 action thriller Kantara took the audiences and the entire Indian film industry by surprise. Made in just Rs 16 crore, the Rishab Shetty film went on to earn over Rs 400 crore at the box office worldwide. The film also earned two National Film Awards earlier this year. Read on to know why a plagiarism case was filed against the makers, which they eventually won.
1. Kantara showcased Bhoota Kola
)
The 2022 action thriller showcased Bhoota Kola, the divine and spiritual performance from the coastal Karnataka, to the entire world. Kantara's universal theme of man vs nature conflict resonated with the hearts of the audiences. Multiple Indian film celebrities such as Kamal Haasan, Hrithik Roshan, Prabhas, Dhanush, and Prithviraj Sukumaran showered their praises on the film on their social media.
2. Kantara budget and box office
)
Headlined and helmed by Rishab Shetty, Kantara was just made in Rs 16 crore and went on to break several box office records. After the original Kannada version was highly appreciated, the production house Hombale Films released the film in dubbed languages in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam. As per the entertainment tracking portal Sacnilk, the film earned Rs 310 crore net in India and grossed Rs 408 crore worldwide.
3. Kantara was accused of plagiarism by Thaikkudam Bridge
)
Kantara was accused of plagiarism by a Kerala-based music band Thaikkudam Bridge, who claimed that the film's goosebumps-inducing track Varaha Roopam was replica of their song Navarasam. The makers removed the track from the theatres and the film's streaming version for few days. Ultimately, the Kozhikode district court dismissed the Kerala band's petition and Varaha Roopam, composed by B. Ajaneesh Loknath, was added back into Kantara.
4. Kantara won two National Film Awards
)
At the 70th National Film Awards announced earlier this year, Kantara was named the Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment. Rishab Shetty won the Best Actor award for his phenomenal performance. In the film's climax, when Rishab's leading character of Shiva gets possessed by Panjurli Daiva, the viewers were left astonished and shocked.
5. Kantara on OTT
)
The action drama is streaming in its original language Kannada and dubbed versions in Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam on Amazon Prime Video. The Hindi dubbed version is available on Netflix. The film also stars Sapthami Gowda, Kishore, Achyuth Kumar, Pramod Shetty and Prakash Thuminad in pivotal roles.
6. Kantara: Chapter 1
)
After its tremendous success, Rishab Shetty announced the film's prequel titled Kantara: Chapter 1 in February 2023. The prequel is being made on a budget of Rs 125 crore and is currently being shot. The makers are planning to release the film in theaters worldwide in multiple languages in the summer of 2025.
