Che film singolare, questo Kantara. Rustico, fragoroso ed evocativo. Di primo acchito, forse un po' ostico per noi occidentali, perché molto aderente al folklore locale non esotizzato. Una stravagante, potente combinazione di etnologia, masala, denuncia sociale e ambientale. Un eroe tradizionale conficcato in un contesto realistico di questioni tribali e discriminazioni castali, illuminato dal confronto fra religione e secolarismo, schiodato dagli stereotipi e lanciato verso un orizzonte infinito.
Kantara non è nato con velleità panindiane, poi il passaparola ha fatto miracoli. Dal Karnataka, la pellicola è dilagata inarrestabile in tutto il subcontinente, conquistando pubblico e critica. Mi è piaciuto? Difficile rispondere. Mi ha colpito l'originalità. In parte mi ha stregata. È anche divertente: non manca di umorismo, e le scene d'azione sfoggiano una soverchiante irruenza primitiva. Tecnicamente di buona - a tratti ottima - fattura, con un'efficace fotografia notturna e una tecnica di ripresa di qualità.
La trama è eccentrica, sviluppata da una sceneggiatura imperfetta ma interessante. La regia è sbalorditiva per convinzione e per fervore, procede come un treno dritto alla meta, travolgendo (e coinvolgendo) tutto ciò che si frappone alla sua marcia trionfale. I personaggi secondari non sono ben delineati e risultano un po' fuori fuoco. In compenso il protagonista è pazzesco, o meglio, è pazzesca la sua parabola, un completo, totale ribaltamento di sè, un'accettazione, una comprensione viscerale delle proprie radici, un epilogo straniante e quasi metafisico che in India ha toccato corde profonde, e sono settimane che non si parla d'altro.
TRAMA
1847. Nella foresta, un re infelice scorge un idolo di pietra che rappresenta Panjurli, e ritrova la serenità. Ottiene l'idolo dalle popolazioni tribali, concedendo loro in cambio delle terre. Ma Guliga, sanguinario compagno di Panjurli, per bocca di un nativo in stato di trance, lo mette in guardia: se i suoi discendenti tenteranno di riappropriarsi di quelle terre, Guliga li ucciderà senza pietà.
1970. Nel corso di una danza rituale (bhootha kola) in onore di Panjurli, il danzatore svanisce misteriosamente nella foresta, lasciandosi alle spalle il figlioletto Shiva.
1990. Ormai adulto, Shiva, fra zuffe e cazzeggi, non vuole saperne di danzare. Il destino però gli riserverà non poche sorprese.
ASSOLUTAMENTE DA NON PERDERE
* La gara dei bufali (kambala) è spettacolare, e la rocambolesca rissa che segue è persino meglio.
* Gli ultimi venti minuti di grande cinema. Sbalorditivi. In un impetuoso incrocio di umano e divino, Kantara passa dall'intrattenimento al trascendente, dalla fisicità all'evanescenza, con una disinvoltura e una sicurezza difficili da eguagliare e impossibili da dimenticare.
RECENSIONI
Deccan Herald: *** 1/2
'The visual style of ‘Kantara’ reminds you of the uncontrolled chaos in Lijo Jose Pellissery’s films. It’s amazing how Rishab [Shetty] (...) takes less time to establish the setting. ‘Kantara’ also attempts to expose the uncomfortable truths of the human mind. (...) Episodes that celebrate the spirit of coastal Karnataka offer an immersive experience. (...) Right from food to dialect to sacred customs to a host of quirky characters, (...) 'Kantara' is an engaging cultural tour. The efforts of B. Ajaneesh Loknath and Arvind S. Kashyap make ‘Kantara’ a technical marvel. There is a constant shift in mood in the film and Ajaneesh’s background score, at every turn of the plot, is dipped in authenticity. The use of different sounds complements the film’s folk flavour. Arvind goes beyond just celebrating the scenic landscape of the Western Ghat region. He supports the movie’s dark tonality. His camerawork is marked by an adventurous energy, especially in the racy and explosive portions. Apart from being technically rich, ‘Kantara’ is a film filled with terrific conflicts. Yet, it keeps you at an arm’s length as far as emotions are concerned. The director in Rishab succeeds in exuding unconventionality on screen but the writer in him fails to construct solid character arcs. For instance, it’s a great idea to make a woman (Sapthami Gowda in a weak performance) from the community work for the forest department, which the villagers detest. But Rishab doesn’t flesh out the character’s full potential, just like he keeps the forest officer’s balancing of personal and professional conflict at a generic level. This hampers a usually-reliable Kishore’s performance as he is forced to remain one-note. Similarly, the landlord's vested intentions are revealed without any build-up but given how brilliant Achyuth [Kumar] is, the character’s sudden switch in the trait is made invisible by his effortless transformation. Having shared the screen with gifted actors, it has taken a career-best effort from Rishab to emerge the best. His internal preparation and the hard work to perfect the external makeover for the stylised bhootha kola performance are commendable. He gets into a different zone in the jaw-dropping climax, which comes after an ambitious yet exhaustive action sequence. Rishab’s stunning act in the final 15 minutes is sure to be discussed for a long time'.
Vivek M.V., 30.09.22
The Hindu:
'From a general glance at the Kannada movies in the last five years, it appears that the Shettys (Rishab Shetty, Rakshit Shetty and Raj B. Shetty, better known as the ‘RRR’ of Coastalwood) are changing cinema to a certain extent, in terms of content rooted in native ethos. Rishab Shetty (...) strongly believes in his theory that cinema will be more universal, if its content is regional and trust is reposed in regionalism. Kantara is a continuation of his engagement with regional content; he has once again experimented with the much-discussed issue of feudalism, environmental protection and forest land encroachment in general. In Kantara, he has turned his focus on folklore and the native cultures. (...) Set against the rural background of forest wealth smuggling, Rishab narrates a story of the belief system of generations in the coastal region and focuses on the sacred customs of the region with the powerful support of the native village nestled in the forest land. He succeeds in meticulously bringing a tale of myths, legends and superstition, and that too in his native dialect. (...) But, it is cataclysmic that in his enthusiasm to showcase, native culture, Rishab glamourises native practices. Such attempts to please the audience through a commercial framework lead to the narration losing traction and issues get diluted'.
Muralidhara Khajane, 30.09.22
Galatta:
'Rishab Shetty (...) delivers a joyous and very exuberant performance as Shiva, the protagonist of Kantara. (...) The screenplay uses many devices to tie the past and the present - or rather, to bring the past to the present and show how the two are always intertwined. (...) The most important past-present connection is a fearsome scream, which is also a metaphor for the cry of anguish of the landless. We hear this cry in the present-day Bhootha Kola performances, and we get into the meat of the plot: Who "owns" the forests? (...) Kantara follows the classic template of The Chosen One, a man who appears ordinary but is destined for greatness. At first, Shiva is as ordinary as ordinary can be. (...) And like every self-respecting masala-movie hero, he locks horns with the antagonist, (...) the forest officer Murali, nicely played with gruff authority by Kishore. (...) In short, we are either in a masala movie disguised as folklore, or in folklore disguised as a masala movie. Either way, everything has a touch of symbolism. (...) All of this is richly shot by Arvind S. Kashyap, and elevated by B. Ajaneesh Loknath's score, which is simultaneously as big as rock music and as subtle as the gently rippling notes at the film's opening. And some of the action choreography is superb. There are issues in the writing. (...) There's a taken-for-granted quality about th(e) love story. (...) The villains are easy enough to spot from a mile away, and a character's change of heart is entirely expected - meaning, the narrative could have used a lot more tension. And in such a story, I wish they'd avoided the cliches - like Shiva bursting in fury when his mother is slapped around, or the really cheap shot of a little girl being killed. But the bigger picture of Kantara is in the smaller details. It’s in the way Leela is torn between her affiliation to her job, i.e. the government, and her people, i.e. the tribals. It's in the way Nature is manifested as wild animals, as forests, as fire, as rain. When Shiva is drenched in a downpour, he says he isn't wet; he has been cleansed. It’s almost like Nature has performed a ritual on him. Despite the generic nature of the middle portions, the closing stretch complements the film’s opening beautifully. And there’s very little more potent than the rush of myth'.
Baradwaj Rangan
Cinema Hindi: *** 1/2
Punto di forza: il prorompente Rishab Shetty (*****), che qui è regista, soggettista, cosceneggiatore e attore protagonista. L'unicità: pur con le sue lacune, Kantara rimane rilevante perché inaugura un nuovo genere e un nuovo stile. La regia, che utilizza registri opposti nello stesso film: documentaristico (ad esempio la superba sequenza che precede la gara dei bufali), popolare (ad esempio le scene d'azione), spirituale e simbolista (ad esempio l'inaspettato, suggestivo finale). Sembra incredibile ma in buona parte funziona.
Punto debole: con qualche limatura, la sceneggiatura avrebbe brillato. Considerando l'epilogo, la storia d'amore è giustamente marginale (il film appartiene a Shiva), però il nocciolo narrativo dei dubbi di Leela, divisa fra due mondi e due versioni di sè, era promettente e meritava un approfondimento.
SCHEDA DEL FILM
Cast:
* Rishab Shetty - Shiva
* Kishore - Murali, ufficiale forestale
* Achyuth Kumar - Devendra, discendente di una famiglia reale
* Sapthami Gowda - Leela, guardia forestale e fidanzata di Shiva
Regia: Rishab Shetty
Sceneggiatura: Rishab Shetty, Anirudh Mahesh, Shanil Guru, Raj B. Shetty, Sham Prasad, Prakash Tuminad
Colonna sonora: B. Ajaneesh Loknath
Coreografia: Raj B. Shetty (danza rituale bhootha kola), Kulbhushan
Fotografia: Arvind S. Kashyap
Montaggio: K.M. Prakash, Pratheek Shetty
Azione: Vikram Mor
Lingua: kannada
Traduzione del titolo: secondo quanto dichiarato da Rishab Shetty, Kantara is a mysterious forest.
Anno: 2022
RASSEGNA STAMPA
* Kantara’s Rishab Shetty reveals the overwhelming reason he has stopped doing theatre visits, Hindustan Times, 18 ottobre 2022:
'“I strongly believe in the line - more regional is more universal. I think what we are doing wrong with the whole pan-Indian cinema dream is that we are trying to make bigger films. What’s the point when I try to make the kind of film that has already been made before in some other industry or in the west? Why will audiences pay money to watch such a film in theatres when they can watch it on OTT? In Kantara, I took elements from my own village and mixed it with a story about the conflict between some patch of land owned by some farmers and the forest department. It’s actually a story of humans versus nature. The differentiating aspect was the use of the mythology which is very region-specific and it worked wonders with the audience”.'
* Kantara's success nothing short of miracle: Director Rishab Shetty, Prathima Nandakumar, The Week, 6 novembre 2022:
'Your style of narration stands apart as you combine a contemporary issue with a complex native tradition like spirit worship. How did you get these layers together? (...)
I finished writing the script of Kantara in four months, along with a couple of co-writers, and we shot the entire movie in my hometown, Keradi (...) within 96 days. I strongly believe in approaching a subject with positivity. This story has nativity, our roots, beliefs, rituals and sentiments. I wanted to deal with a common subject avoiding any negativity. I wanted people to walk out of the theatres with a good feeling and energy. (...)
Your performance in the last 20 minutes of the movie, when the spirit manifests in you, has become a talking point. How did you prepare for the challenging role?
I am a trained yakshagana (traditional theatre) artiste and used to don the role for six years, when I was younger. But nothing could have prepared you for a role like this one, as it has several shades. My character, Shiva, is an easygoing, romantic village lad who has shades of grey. When I enact the role of the daiva [divinità locale] it is a spiritual experience. The kambala (buffalo race) scenes demanded an athlete, so I trained in martial arts for the film. I must have watched at least a thousand videos of bhootha kolas (animistic ritual dance) and interacted a lot with the community of daiva narthakas [danzatori rituali] during the making of the film to get it right. I also followed a strict regimen, quit eating non-vegetarian food during the shoot and walked barefoot. During the shooting of the kola, I chose to fast'.
* Rishab Shetty: ‘I believe in the practice and I have portrayed it’, Vikhar Ahmed Sayeed, Frontline, 24 novembre 2022:
'How did you come up with the story of Kantara?
Around 20 or 30 years ago, an incident took place in my village which helped me begin writing Kantara. This incident involved a fracas between a forest officer and a farmer over a piece of agricultural land. When I recalled the incident, I didn’t see these two persons as mere individuals but as representatives of humanity and nature, their clash representing this conflict. I started thinking about this and about how our entire culture in coastal Karnataka revolves around agriculture. Linked to this agriculture-based culture are the daivas (local deities), who are an intrinsic part of our lives, which I brought into my story to complete the tale of the conflict between the elements of nature and humanity. According to me, daiva aradhane (worship of local deities) bridges this conflict. Daiva aradhane brings together everyone equally in its rituals. Even to this day, when daivas are worshipped, members of a particular village, along with their families who may be scattered across the world, ensure that they gather for the rituals. There is no caste element in the Kola (the ritual dance which is part of daiva aradhane) and it even transcends religion, as there are Muslim and Christian daivas. (...)
The subtitle of the film is Ondu Danta Kathe (a legend). Is the film actually based on a legend of coastal Karnataka?
Not directly, but we have thousands of daivas in coastal Karnataka, each of whom has a story. All these stories have come to us as folk songs. There are many sagas where the daiva is challenged, or the daiva performs miracles, and these have actually been witnessed by people who have recorded these instances. How does a story become a legend? Generations of storytellers repeat the same story, giving birth to a legend. I brought together many real incidents, legends, and bits of folklore that I’ve heard over the years and set my fictional story in the world of Kantara. (...)
The climactic scene has become the most popular segment, with many viewers awed by the way in which it is conceptualised. How did you come up with this scene?
It is difficult to answer your question because it’s not easy to communicate what I experienced during the shooting of this scene. In the screenplay, there was only one line about this scene, which stated that the spirit of Guliga daiva would enter Shiva on the instruction of Panjurli daiva. When the daiva’s spirit enters a person, that person struggles to withstand the energy and loses consciousness sometimes. I had to portray this frenzied moment and I prepared for this by watching thousands of videos of Guliga daiva on YouTube. I had also seen the Kola from my childhood, and a team of daiva narthakas (ritual dancers) was with me throughout and I was discussing the portrayal with them continuously. As a devotee myself, I was clear that the portrayal should be accurate because these are sensitive matters of belief, and the visuals of the scene played out in my head. (...)
Kantara has a strong subtext of caste discrimination built into it. What inspired you to underline this aspect?
As a writer, my strength is my keen observation of society. I have seen this society [of coastal Karnataka] very closely from childhood and I’ve grown up seeing caste discrimination. I belong to an upper-caste community (...) but the ill-treatment of lower castes made an impression on me. Nowadays, caste differences are reducing as societies progress but because Kantara is set in the 1990s, I had to incorporate aspects of caste discrimination as well. It was important'.
CURIOSITÀ
* Riferimenti al cinema indiano: Silk Smitha
GOSSIP & VELENI
* A fronte di un costo di 160 milioni di rupie, ad oggi Kantara ne ha incassati 4.460 milioni. Quando si dice un investimento remunerativo. La casa di produzione è la Hombale Films, che, tanto perché piove sempre sul bagnato, in precedenza aveva finanziato la fortunata saga di K.G.F. Esiste un signor Hombale? Sposato?
