Action · Fantasy · Kannada

Kantara: Chapter 1 (2025) Review: Watch & Download Online

★ 8.8 / 10

Director	Rishab Shetty
Cast	Rishab Shetty, Rukmini Vasanth, Jayaram, Gulshan Devaiah
Runtime	2h 49m
Released	2025
Music	B. Ajaneesh Loknath
Box office	About ₹851 crore worldwide

Watch the official trailer

Official trailer uploaded by Hombale Films.

Synopsis (spoiler-free)

Centuries before the first Kantara, in the Kadamba dynasty era, a young forest-dweller named Berme is drawn into a war between a kingdom, a sacred forest and the divine force that guards it. The prequel to the 2022 phenomenon goes back to where the legend began — to the first man who became a vessel of the forest god.

Our detailed review

Story — 8.5/10

The prequel gamble pays off: instead of repeating the original, Chapter 1 builds a whole new mythic world — the Kadamba court, the forest tribes, the politics of land and faith — and anchors it in Berme's journey from a wild forest boy to a vessel of the divine. The scale is enormous, with a war sequence involving hundreds of fighters that genuinely earns its hype, but the film never loses its soul: the conflict is always about who the forest belongs to. The second half leans on familiar masala beats, and the runtime is long — but when the final ritual begins, the theatre erupts.

Acting — 9.0/10

Rishab Shetty — writing, directing and starring — plays Berme with total conviction, moving from mischief to fury to divine possession without ever losing the character. Rukmini Vasanth brings warmth and steel to Kanakavathi, Jayaram commands the screen as the king, and Gulshan Devaiah is a worthy antagonist. The Bhuta Kola sequences, performed with ritual intensity, are the film's soul.

Direction — 9.0/10

Shetty directs like a man who knows this world is sacred to him. Arvind Kashyap's cinematography makes every frame look like a painting — misty forests, torchlit rituals, battlefields drenched in dust and blood — and the action is staged with a clarity that big Indian spectacles often lack. The film trusts its culture: it explains nothing twice and lets the rituals speak.

Music — 9.0/10

B. Ajaneesh Loknath's score thunders through the film — drums that feel like they come from the forest itself, and a theme that swells at exactly the right moments. The soundtrack is inseparable from the film's power; in the climax, the music is half the miracle.

What works

• A mythic world that feels ancient, alive and rooted in real culture.
• Rishab Shetty's triple-duty performance as actor, writer and director.
• Enormous, well-staged action — the war sequence is a spectacle.
• A thunderous score and a climax that brings theatres to their feet.

What doesn't work

• The second half leans on familiar masala beats.
• At 2h 49m the runtime tests patience in places.
• Some supporting characters are thinly drawn.

Rating breakdown

Where to Watch

Kantara: Chapter 1 streams on Amazon Prime Video in Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam.

You can also download it in the official Prime Video app on your phone or tablet to watch offline legally — see our guide on how to download movies legally.

Streaming availability can vary by country. Please check your local streaming service for the latest information.

Box Office

The highest-grossing Indian film of its year and the second-highest Kannada grosser ever after KGF: Chapter 2, with a return of nearly 400% on its budget. The Hindi version (₹224.53 crore net) and the Kannada version (₹199.77 crore net) led the run.

Source: Sacnilk, Koimoi. Figures are reported trade estimates as of October 2026 and may vary slightly between trackers.

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