Kantara is a recently released action thriller film written and directed by Rishab Shetty and produced by Vijay Kiragandur under the banner of Hombale Films, the same company that bankrolled the KGF series. The film stars Rishab himself in the lead as a Kambala champion who is at loggerheads with an upright DRFO ( Deputy Range Forest Officer) Murali played by Kishore.
The film was finally released on the OTT platform Amazon Prime video after a magnificent run at the box office. This served as a treat for all those who were not able to catch the film in theatres upon its release as they are not able to watch it in the comfort of their own homes. Though thrilled by it, the fans were not all that happy after noticing a change in the digital version of the film. They were disappointed to see the changes that had been made to the powerful climax song 'Varaha Roopam'.
For those who are unaware of this, the Kerala-based rock band Thaikkudam Bridge accused the makers of Kantara of plagiarising the song 'Varaha Roopam' from their song 'Navarasam'. This led the Principal District Court in Kozhikode in Kerala to pass a temporary order that restricted the makers of the film from using the song from the film. Rishab Shetty has not yet addressed this change in Kantara's music leaving fans more than upset to see that the film is no more the same without Varaha Roopam.
The film received high acclaim from critics, who praised the cast performances (especially those of Shetty and Kishore), direction, writing, production design, cinematography, action sequences, editing, soundtrack, and musical score. The film was a massive success and after collecting over Rs. 400 crores at the global box office, it emerged as the second highest-grossing Kannada film of all time as well as the second highest-grossing Kannada film of 2022, both after KGF: Chapter 2.
