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Kantara: Chapter 1 review
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Filmi Score
Very good
29 reviews
74
What the critics say
Audience Score · not yet · appears once three readers have written a review
Critics overwhelmingly praise Kantara Chapter 1's scale, VFX, climax and Rishab Shetty's performance, but many flag a slack, meandering first half, overdone comedy and uneven pacing that keep it short of the original.
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16+
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Summary
Kantara: Chapter 1 (2025, Kannada) has a Filmi Score of 74 from 29 critic reviews, is rated 16+ by Filmi (CBFC: U/A 16+), and streams on Prime Video in the US.
During the Kadamba reign, King Vijayendra, the ruler of the fictional feudatory land of Bangra, meets his final fate while venturing into the mystical forest of Kantara. Witnessing this, his son Rajashekara seals the borders of their realm. Later, Prince Kulashekara reopens them through a brutal massacre. The protagonist, Berme, in search of prosperity, crosses the divide and ignites a conflict of faith, power, and destiny between the Kingdom and Nature.
Where to watchAvailability by JustWatch · some watch links pay filmi.ai a small commission; it never changes what we show or how we score.
Box office collection
₹$≈ at ₹88/$, as of 26 Oct 2026
₹852.36 CrWorldwide gross in 91 days
India gross₹741.36 Cr
Overseas gross₹111.00 Cr
As of 26 Aug 2026 · Sacnilk
view →
Cast & crew
Cast
Directed by Rishab Shetty · written by Rishab Shetty & Anirudh Mahesh & Shanil Gowtham · music B. Ajaneesh Loknath
Rishab ShettyWriter · Director
Anirudh MaheshWriter
Shanil GowthamWriter
B. Ajaneesh LoknathMusic
Arvind KashyapCinematography
Suresh MallaiahEditing
Rishab ShettyLead
Rukmini Vasanth
Jayaram
Gulshan Devaiah
Ramitha Shailendra
Pramod Shetty
Naveen D. Padil
Rakesh Poojari
Prakash Thuminad
Deepak Rai Panaje
Hari Prashanth M G
Mime Ramdas
Full crew
SoundArun S Mani · M. R. Rajakrishnan · Sreehari BR · Sahil Kandasamy
Production designVinesh Banglan · Dharani Gangeputhra
CostumePragathi Rishab Shetty
ChoreographySwaraj Shetty
VFXK.V. Sanjit · Rahul V. Gopalakrishnan
ActionTodor Lazarov · Arjun Raj · Mahesh Mathew · Ram Chella · Lakshman Chella · Mithun Singh Rajput
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Summary
During the Kadamba reign, King Vijayendra, the ruler of the fictional feudatory land of Bangra, meets his final fate while venturing into the mystical forest of Kantara. Witnessing this, his son Rajashekara seals the borders of their realm. Later, Prince Kulashekara reopens them through a brutal massacre. The protagonist, Berme, in search of prosperity, crosses the divide and ignites a conflict of faith, power, and destiny between the Kingdom and Nature.
Where to watch
Availability by JustWatch · some watch links pay filmi.ai a small commission; it never changes what we show or how we score.What the critics said
29 reviews · the critic’s own number where they gave one
Five of 29 · the critic’s own number where they gave one
Madhu · YouTube, Kannada · transcript read · 2 Oct 2025
The critic is left speechless by the film's craft, especially the interval sequence's cinematography, music and emotion, calling Rukmini Vasanth's… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
92
Janani K · 2 Oct 2025
Kantara Chapter 1 review: Rishab Shetty's folklore saga is a spellbinding spectacle Read it there →
Published · 4/5
Filmi’s reading 90
80
Arjun Menon · 2 Oct 2025
Critic calls the prequel an ambitious, awe-inspiring expansion of the Kantara universe, praising the performances, cinematography and score, with… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
90
YouTube, Hindi · rating spoken aloud · 2 Oct 2025
4/5, said on camera. Published nowhere. Watch it there →
Stated in video
Filmi’s reading 88
80
Deeksha Sharma · YouTube, Hindi · rating spoken aloud · 2 Oct 2025
5/5, said on camera. Published nowhere. Watch it there →
Stated in video
Filmi’s reading 88
100
Likhith · YouTube, Kannada · transcript read · 2 Oct 2025
An ecstatic premiere-night verdict: a must-watch cinematic experience to book immediately, before spoilers land. The critic calls Rishab Shetty's… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
88
Anmol Jamwal · YouTube · transcript read · 2 Oct 2025
Anmol calls Kantara Chapter 1 a visually spectacular, technically dazzling epic with strong performances from Rukmini Vasant and Gulshan Devaiah,… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
84
YouTube, Telugu · transcript read · 2 Oct 2025
The critic calls Kantara: Chapter 1 a strong theatrical experience with excellent production design, cinematography and background score, praising… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
83
Yogi · YouTube, Hindi · rating spoken aloud · 2 Oct 2025
4/5, said on camera. Published nowhere. Watch it there →
Stated in video
Filmi’s reading 82
80
Varun · YouTube, Kannada · transcript read · 2 Oct 2025
A good, one-of-a-kind film whose execution is its strongest suit — the chariot adventure sequence, tiger CGI, and Rishab Shetty's dominance as… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
80
2 Oct 2025
Only Kollywood calls the film visually breathtaking and spiritually powerful, praising performances and music despite some filler scenes, pacing… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
80
Nandini Ramnath · 2 Oct 2025
Ramnath finds this a more ambitious, technically dazzling expansion of Kantara's world with strong world-building and a compelling arc for Rukmini… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
78
Kantara Chapter 1 review - idlebrain.com - Rishab Shetty, Rukmini Vasanth Read it there →
Published · 3/5
Filmi’s reading 78
60
Princy Alexander · 2 Oct 2025
Critic calls the prequel a successful, if overlong, successor to the original, praising Rishab Shetty's transformation scenes, the VFX and the… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
78
Sashidhar Adivi · 2 Oct 2025
Kantara: Chapter 1 Review: Rishab Shetty’s Film Is a Visual Feast | Filmfare.com Read it there →
Published · 3.5/5
Filmi’s reading 77
70
YouTube, Malayalam · transcript read · 2 Oct 2025
Aswanth praises Kantara Chapter 1's music, VFX, cinematography and the performances of Gulshan Devaiah and Rukmini Vasant, calling the second half… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
76
Vivek M.V. · 2 Oct 2025
A worthy prequel that succeeds on sheer scale: audacious action, top-class CGI, rousing music, and strong turns from Rishab Shetty and Rukmini… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
76
Unni Narayanan · YouTube, Malayalam · transcript read · 2 Oct 2025
Taken on its own terms, a grand paisa-vasool theatre experience with superb performances and largely excellent VFX and sets. But measured against… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
72
Saibal Chatterjee · 2 Oct 2025
Kantara A Legend - Chapter 1 Review: The Film Belongs To Rishab Shetty Read it there →
Published · 3/5
Filmi’s reading 70
60
Kantara: Chapter 1 Review – Grand Scale, Mixed Impact Read it there →
Published · 2.75/5
Filmi’s reading 65
55
Abhimanyu Mathur · 2 Oct 2025
3/5, stated in the text — not a formal rating. Read it there →
Stated in text
Filmi’s reading 65
60
Swaroop Kodur · 2 Oct 2025
Critic finds the prequel dizzying and dazzling but hampered by a cluttered, hasty narrative and underdeveloped character writing, concluding its… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
65
Shilpa D · 4 Oct 2025
Kannada Prabha praises the film's lavish visuals, VFX, and performances, especially Rukmini Vasanth, but faults the screenplay for lacking… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
63
Anwar Mohammad · 1 Oct 2025
2.75/5, stated in the text — not a formal rating. Read it there →
Stated in text
Filmi’s reading 62
55
Venkat · 2 Oct 2025
‘Kantara Chapter 1’ Review: Second Half Works like Magic Read it there →
Published · 3/5
Filmi’s reading 62
60
YouTube, Telugu · rating spoken aloud · 2 Oct 2025
2.80/5, said on camera. Published nowhere. Watch it there →
Stated in video
Filmi’s reading 57
56
YouTube · transcript read · 3 Oct 2025
Sucharita praises Kantara Chapter 1's cinematography, production design and performances by Gulshan Devaiah and Rukmini Vasant, but argues the… Watch it there →
Derived by Filmi
48
Pranati A S · 2 Oct 2025
Critic argues the prequel is largely a bigger-budget rehash of the original, faulting a weakly written climax, a reused and overlong score, and… Read it there →
Derived by Filmi
35
How this number was made. We read every review and derive a 0–100 reading from each — including where the critic printed a number, which stays first on its row, because it’s theirs. The Filmi Score is the mean of 29 readings; 13 of those rows also carry the critic’s own rating, shown beside ours. Rubric v2.1, computed 26 Oct 2026. Any critic can ask us to remove a derived reading.
PublishedStated in videoDerived by FilmiNo score
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Kantara: Chapter 1: quick answers
Box office, where to watch and what critics said — from the same data as the page.
What is Kantara: Chapter 1's box office collection?
Kantara: Chapter 1 has a box office collection of ₹852.36 Cr worldwide (gross), made up of ₹741.36 Cr India gross and ₹111.00 Cr overseas gross. Figures are Sacnilk's, as of 26 Aug 2026, day 91. Grosses are contested in India, and money never feeds the Filmi Score.
How much has Kantara: Chapter 1 collected at the box office?
Kantara: Chapter 1 has collected ₹852.36 Cr worldwide in 91 days, as of 26 Aug 2026, according to Sacnilk.
Where can I watch Kantara: Chapter 1?
Kantara: Chapter 1 is streaming on OTT: Prime Video (India, the US, the UK and Canada) and Fubo (the US). It can also be rented or bought on Amazon Video (India). Availability comes from JustWatch and is checked every Friday.
What did critics say about Kantara: Chapter 1?
Kantara: Chapter 1 has a Filmi Score of 74 (Very good), the mean of 29 readings of critic reviews, one per review. Readings run from 35 (Deccan Herald) to 92 (Name is Madhu). Every review and how it was scored is listed below.
What readers say
The Audience Score appears once three readers’ reviews have been read under the rubric — built from what people write, never from the rating numbers.
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