From ‘KGF: Chapter 2’ to ‘Kantara,’ how 2022 became the year of Kannada cinema

Emboldened by the success of the ‘KGF’ franchise, directors and producers aimed for more this year, as Kannada cinema became bigger in canvas, budget and ambition, as well as louder in decibels, machismo and spectacle

2022 began and ended with a bang for the Kannada Film Industry (KFI). This year, Kannada cinema rose from being a mere afterthought in the company of its south Indian counterparts under the lazy tag of “regional cinema” to claiming its place on the table as a national force to be reckoned with. 

Emboldened by the success of the KGF franchise, directors and producers in the KFI aimed for more. Kannada cinema became bigger and louder; bigger in canvas, budget and ambition, as well as louder in decibels, machismo and spectacle. 

Yash-starrer KGF: Chapter 2, the most expensive Kannada film ever made on a budget of ₹100 crore, was undoubtedly the biggest blockbuster of the year. Meanwhile, Rakshit Shetty’s 777 Charlie and Sudeep’s Vikrant Rona also swept the box-office cashing in, and delivering on the pan-India craze that has dominated commercial releases in the last few years.  

It was, however, Rishab Shetty’s Kantara, made on a small budget of ₹16 crores, that became a global phenomenon, underscoring the importance of telling culturally-rooted stories. The collective noise made Sandalwood, as the industry is better known, the undisputable talk of the town. 

The resounding success of KGF: Chapter 2 was not entirely unforeseen after the rousing reception to its predecessor, KGF: Chapter 1 (2018). The testosterone-fuelled sequel, set in the sprawling world of Kolar Gold Fields – deftly crafted and smartly cast by director Prashant Neel – saw the audience rushing to the theatres in droves, intrigued to know how an already larger-than-life Kannada cinema hero could be scaled to greater heights.  

However, as the year inched to a close, the unexpected triumph of Kantara left everyone, including its makers, stumped. Directed and performed by Rishab Shetty, this fantasy thriller weaved a story of power, oppression and land rights with coastal Karnataka’s ritualistic tradition of Bhootaaradhane, which, for once, was more than just a mystical prop to drive the narrative. In Kantara, Indian cinema got its biggest surprise; a small budget film that did massive numbers.  

While KGF raked in record-breaking box office figures as a grand, opulent tale built on a familiar, universal theme of the rise and fall of an underdog, Kantara resonated with the people because it was exotic and unfamiliar.