‘Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1’ Is A Decent Follow-Up That Overstays Its Welcome

Often, when a film is a success, a sequel will always be on the table. But sometimes, instead of taking a step forward into new territories, there is also the choice of uplifting the first film by pursuing the prequel route; a way to delve into the lore of a world, to explore it at a different period of time and even explain holes in the first film’s plot. Of course, to be truly successful, the prequel itself must be able to stand on its own and not just be a rehash of what worked before.

Rishab Shetty returns as writer, director, and actor to give audiences another chapter in his Kantara saga. Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1 is an Indian Kannada-language mythological action film that serves as a prequel to Kantara. It stars Rishab Shetty, Rukmini Vasanth, Jayaram, Pramod Shetty, and Gulshan Devaiah. It was released on Friday, October 3, 2025.

The film’s framing device is that of a story being told to a young Shiva, the previous film’s protagonist, during the events of Kantara, where his father disappeared after a ritual. What follows is a plot set in pre-colonial coastal Karnataka, which explores the conflict between the kingdom of Bangra and the natives of Kantara forest, as well as delving deeper into the origins of the traditions shown in Kantara. Berme, played by Shetty, is a mysterious child left in a well and seemingly born of divine will, who comes into conflict with the newly crowned king of Bangra, Kulashekara, played by Devaiah. As the film progresses, the conflict escalates, and Berme must contend with nature, the kingdom of Bangra, and the divine powers that operate within the forest.

This film makes its intentions known from the start, and it should be commended that Shetty does not rehash any part of the previous film’s plot. What starts as a simple empire against native conflict becomes more complex as Berme becomes involved in trade in Bangra. The film’s scope and ambition are also clearly greater, with the prologue showing off some impressive CG elements that make the divine aspect appear frightening and mysterious. The biggest compliment that can be given is that this film is visually a big improvement over its predecessor. Despite being set in a radically different time and place, it maintains the previous film’s energy whilst remaining consistent in its depiction of the time period. The sets, costumes, and cinematography do wonders in immersing the viewer in the world, but also remain congruent with its predecessor.

All aspects of production are excellent and a massive step up from Kantara. The people of Bangra all wear intricate and detailed outfits compared to the rudimentary clothing of the people of Kantara. The various levels of class are made clear as well, with traders wearing distinct garbs that differentiate them from the royalty. The set design is immaculate, with excellent attention to detail, and the cinematography allows the colors to truly shine. It is then unfortunate that some of the CG looks relatively poor by comparison.

Further indicating that this film is a step up is the action. There are more action sequences, all of which showcase excellent ambition, camerawork, and choreography, and the film wastes no time in showing this aspect off. The first action sequence is shown through an excellent oner that keeps the action fully in view whilst maintaining the lightning pace of the scene. A later sequence has the camera fly swiftly through a battle, as if it is a bird flying over the massacre. Comedic action sequences are present and show off inventive creativity, utilizing the surrounding environment to great effect.

But of course, a film needs to be more than its action. The characters and story are, unfortunately, a mixed bag. Berme is perhaps the biggest culprit in the character department. While Shetty gives a solid performance, one that brings excellent physicality and intensity, the character ultimately feels no different from Shiva in the previous film. Both are charismatic men with spiritual connections who are both inhumanly strong and have a penchant for mischief. It all feels like a complete rehash of what came before, with nothing new of note. The performance certainly works on its own, but it’s hard not to feel disappointed by the repetition. Berme’s character arc is also much weaker than that of Shiva, who had to overcome not only the trauma of his father’s disappearance, but also his personal shortcomings in order to become the protector of his people. Berme does not feel like he evolves beyond his introduction, and the mystery behind him, in addition to his personal feelings about technically being an orphan and child of a demigod, feels underdeveloped.

The plot and pacing are just as inconsistent as the previous film, with a massive amount of exposition piled onto the viewer in the first 10 minutes that makes everything difficult to track. The film wants to indulge in a larger scope of time but ironically does not take the time necessary to earn this. To make matters worse, the film is also too long. There are extended stretches of scenes that serve little purpose other than to be comedic relief. A long period where Berme and his friends are imprisoned stands out as a clear example of filler that does little to push the story forward. Even some action sequences, despite being well-made, feel ultimately pointless and only serve to extend the runtime and engage the audience in case the story is moving too slowly.

But by far the worst instance of the film’s extended runtime is the final 50 minutes. After a massive battle that brings the conflict to a head, which ends with the antagonist’s death and seemingly a new step forward for both sides, the film has a perfectly natural endpoint at two hours that can lead into the planned sequel. Instead, there are another 50 minutes to go, where a third faction that was underdeveloped throughout the film comes into play and a final twist reveals the true antagonist behind it all. The first film featured something similar that made a bit more sense, but here it feels like an unnecessary way to pad the runtime. The film rushes through the twist, with the new antagonist having a complete flip in personality, and the build-up to the real final battle too. The final antagonist has little to no chemistry or rivalry with Berme, meaning the ultimate victory feels hollow. Where almost every previous action sequence felt unique and clearly staged, this final fight feels random with little sense of location. Thankfully, the battle itself maintains the film’s high quality of action and is visually appealing, but it is perhaps the film’s weakest set piece, which is such a shame.

The ending itself also feels like a retread of the previous film, with Berme’s arc concluding in a similar way to Shiva’s. This time, however, it is drawn out and doesn’t explore the few unique aspects of Berme, instead opting for what is seemingly a bigger and more visually spectacular resolution, but is fundamentally a copy of its predecessor’s conclusion. Further adding salt to the wound is the blatant sequel bait that feels incredibly out of place and forced.

The final discussion to be had then is whether or not this film succeeds as a prequel to Kantara. Unfortunately, it does not. While it works as a follow-up that explores a different period of time, it does not enhance or add anything that would bolster the previous film’s quality. This does mean that both can be viewed as standalone features, but to decide which of the two is better will ultimately come down to personal preference.

Overall, Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1 is a perfectly fine follow-up. It certainly improves on the action and visuals, delivering excellent spectacle whilst also maintaining the previous film’s tone and style. The setting is excellently realized, but the story itself ultimately feels like a repeat of what came before and all the visual splendor and CGI cannot hide that fact. But most egregious is the film’s runtime, which is bloated to an unnecessary degree. Fans of the previous film will certainly enjoy it, but those who wanted a definite improvement will be left unsatisfied. Whatever comes after this has to be more different.