Filmmaker Abhiroop Basu criticizes popular Kannada film Kantara starring Rishab Shetty; calls it ‘regressive’

The Kannada film Kantara has been gaining ample momentum as even Bollywood celebrities can’t stop raving about the Rishab Shetty starrer. Many of them took to social media to shower their praises and love for the film. After KGF, this Kannada film too was witnessed massive success in quarters beyond Karnataka. However, filmmaker Abhiroop Basu differs from this massy opinion and has slammed the film for its content, calling it ‘poorly made’ and ‘regressive’.

Filmmaker Abhiroop Basu, who writes and directs short films, criticized Kantara during an interview with ETimes. He was quoted saying, “I feel it’s a mockery of anyone’s intelligence. Poorly made, regressive, loud, replete with tropes, no real character to root for, so called plot twists appear dishonest and merely serve as gimmicks, the protagonist’s redemption arc is laughable and by the time the film reaches the much talked about climax, I am not really interested anymore.”

He went on to add, “But I guess it shouldn’t really be shocking for a film that forces you to believe in ‘divine intervention’ earning aplenty, especially in a time when you are trying hard as a country to prove the scientific relevance of a mythological character. So really, it all fits in.”

For the uninitiated, the film talks about a mythological folklore where a deal between a landlord and villagers go awry. It also touches upon some traditional practices like Buta Kola (animistic ritual dance) as well as Kambala (buffalo race) which are quite popular in the interiors of Karnataka and their culture.

Talking of Kantara, the film is also directed by Rishab Shetty, who plays the leading man in the film. Also starring Achyuth Kumar, Pramod Shetty, Sapthami Gowda, among others, the film was initially released only in Kannada. However, owing to its popularity, it was later released in other languages including Malayalam and Hindi. The Kannada version hit the big screens on September 30.