By Ayesha Khan 
Bengaluru, September 22: The trailer for Rishab Shetty’s Kantara: Chapter 1 arrived this morning, and if social media is anything to go by, the country is split between goosebumps and raised eyebrows. The film, a prequel to the 2022 cultural phenomenon, opens on October 2, Dussehra day, across multiple languages. That release date alone tells you how seriously the makers are taking this as a pan-India event.
Looking Back To Move Forward
Unlike the usual sequel strategy of going glossier and louder, this one goes backwards. The trailer drags us into an older, harsher time. A feudal ruler squeezes villagers dry with taxes. A forbidden romance flares between a princess and a man who is clearly not supposed to be her equal. And, always lurking, are the divine elements, the Daiva Kola, the Panjurli deity that gave the first Kantara its haunting soul.
If the first film was about faith colliding with land disputes, this one seems to want to explain why the faith existed at all. Origins, ancestry, rituals. It is not subtle, but then again, Kantara never was.
The Spectacle Shetty Has Built
Reports from the shoot suggest 500 trained fighters and close to 3,000 extras were brought in for a war sequence that sprawled over 25 acres of rugged land. It took nearly two months to pull off. The trailer wastes no time showing it soldiers stampeding, forests ablaze, war drums pounding.
The music, again from Ajaneesh Loknath, pounds with more menace than last time. The score that once whispered and lingered now roars. If the first Kantara felt like a tale murmured around a fire, this one feels like it wants to be etched into stone tablets.
Reactions Are Anything But Quiet
Fans in Karnataka have already declared it the next big thing, flooding feeds with praise and calling the visuals “spellbinding.” The unexpected addition of Diljit Dosanjh to the soundtrack has added another layer of intrigue. For Shetty, that could be a masterstroke in luring audiences beyond the South.
But there is also unease. Some critics say the trailer looks “too clean” and accuse Shetty of chasing spectacle over soul. One popular post complained it feels like “every other franchise prequel.” That mix of excitement and doubt is telling. For every fan convinced this is history in the making, there is another who fears the raw, untamed spirit of the original has been lost to scale.
A Slow Burn Abroad
The real test of Kantara’s rise to franchise status was always going to be overseas. On that front, the signs are not encouraging. Advance bookings in the U.S. have slowed down, according to reports. The first Kantara had shocked everyone by pulling in strong diaspora numbers in California, New Jersey, and even parts of Europe, despite being steeped in very local folklore.
This time, the buzz feels thinner. It could be Hollywood competition. It could be the challenge of selling a prequel heavy with ritual to audiences who are less connected to it. Or maybe the expectations have simply piled too high. Whatever the reason, the early signals abroad are cautious, even if the mood at home remains feverish.
More Than Just A Release
Chapter 1 is not just another movie rollout. It is a referendum on what Indian cinema can be when rooted stories try to wear global clothes. Can a film born out of Karnataka’s soil grow into a blockbuster franchise without losing its pulse? Or does chasing pan-India grandeur always risk sanding off the edges that made it special?
The first Kantara thrived because it felt unpolished, raw, even a little dangerous. With this prequel, Shetty has chosen to raise the stakes. If it works, he becomes a filmmaker who rewrote the rules twice. If it falters, the industry will be reminded that authenticity is not something that can be scaled at will.
For now, all eyes are on October 2. Theatres will have their answer soon enough.
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- Ayesha Khanhttps://hindustanherald.in/author/ayesha/
- Ayesha Khanhttps://hindustanherald.in/author/ayesha/
- Ayesha Khanhttps://hindustanherald.in/author/ayesha/
- Ayesha Khanhttps://hindustanherald.in/author/ayesha/
