Let’s discuss Kantara Chapter 1, the most recent South Indian release. This film has a clear connection to the 2022 Kantara movie. But Kantara Chapter 1 is essentially a predecessor rather than a sequel. This is because the film investigates the tale before to the events of the first Kantara rather than showing what transpires after the first film.
Kantara Chapter 1 Full Story Explained | Secrets & Twist Ending
Stated differently, the movie shows how Kantara’s history started. For those of you who haven’t seen the film yet, I will give you a detailed account of Kantara Chapter 1 in today’s post.
Friends, the word “Kantara” refers to a secretive jungle—a mystery woodland. The story is centered on a forest called Kantara, and the events of the film take place there, as the title suggests.
Let’s begin by examining the film’s plot. Thousands of years ago is when the film starts. It is revealed at this point in history that Panjurli Dev and Gulika Dev were sent to Earth by Ishwar (God) in accordance with His desire. Upon their arrival, these two deities settled in a certain forest, which later became known as Kantara.
Kantara Chapter 1 Story: The Kingdom and the Forest
Kantara is a vast and mysterious forest. But outside this forest lies a large kingdom, ruled by a king named Vijendra. This king is extremely cruel—not only does he oppress the common people, but he also takes whatever he desires by force.
The kingdom itself is called Kadamba, a region bordered on one side by the Kantara forest and on the other by the sea. The coastal location makes Kadamba a hub for trade. However, merchants coming from outside often require many workers or slaves for their business.
King Vijendra takes advantage of this. He captures the poor and helpless people from surrounding areas, first torturing them and then selling them to foreigners. By doing so, he earns significant profit while spreading fear among the populace.
One day, while bathing in the sea, King Vijendra notices an old man fishing at the far end of the water. This elderly man is actually from Kantara forest, and his name is Maikara. He is simply trying to catch fish to feed himself.
King Vijendra, known for his cruelty and hatred toward the poor, cannot tolerate seeing a humble man fishing in the sea. Enraged, he orders his soldiers to capture Maikara and prepare to execute him.
Just as the soldiers are about to attack, several spices fall from Maikara’s bag. The king picks up the fallen spices and realizes that these could be sold to foreigners at a very high price, significantly boosting his trade profits.
Curious, King Vijendra asks Maikara who he is and where he got these spices from. Maikara explains that he lives in the Kantara forest, where these spices naturally grow. It is important to note that the Kantara forest lies directly opposite the king’s kingdom, making it easily visible and within reach of his greed.
What could a king possibly find inside a forest? King Vijendra had never ventured into Kantara forest, thinking there was nothing worth his time. But once he learns that Kantara is rich with resources and treasures, he hatches a plan to enter the forest and seize control of it.
King Vijendra has a young son named Rajshekhar. Taking his son along with his entire army, the king marches into the forest, intent on conquering it. However, as they move deeper into the forest, they are confronted by Panjurli Dev, who warns the king not to go any further.
Ignoring the warning, the king presses on. In response, wild bulls appear and trample Vijendra’s soldiers. Yet, the king refuses to stop, venturing even deeper until Panjurli Dev personally confronts him and ultimately kills him, protecting the forest from Vijendra’s greed and cruelty.
Witnessing this, the original inhabitants of Kantara arrive and see the king’s death. These tribespeople belong to the same clan from which the movie’s main hero will later emerge. Meanwhile, Vijendra’s young son Rajshekhar survives, fleeing into the forest in tears and eventually collapsing from exhaustion.
Other tribespeople find him and nurse him back to health. These are the Kadapa tribe, distinguished by their black clothing and knowledge of tantra and dark arts. Unlike the forest’s original inhabitants, who worship Panjurli Dev and Gulika Dev, the Kadapa use mystical powers to enhance their abilities and attempt to control the deities’ powers.
Grateful for saving his life, Rajshekhar befriends the Kadapa tribe, helping them whenever he can. As time passes, he grows up to become the new king of Kadamba. Rajshekhar has two children: a son named Kulshekhar and a daughter named Kanakvathi, who is referred to as Kanak in the movie.
Kanak is born weak, unable even to move her hands and legs. Distraught, the king is visited by the Kadapa tribe, who offer to nourish and heal her with their powers. Soon, Kanak recovers and is returned safely to the king.
Meanwhile, in Kantara forest, the original tribes live peacefully, worshipping Panjurli Dev and Gulika Dev. One day, while foraging for food, a woman from the tribe discovers a small child in a well, guarded by a tiger. She rescues the child and raises him as her own, naming him Bharma. This child grows up to become the movie’s main hero, portrayed by Rishab Shetty.
As time progresses, Rajshekhar’s children grow up. Rajshekhar appoints his son Kulshekhar as the new king. However, Kulshekhar proves to be cruel, disrespectful, and immoral. He disrespects his parents and his guru, neglects the welfare of his subjects, indulges in excessive drinking, and mocks the existence of God.
This sets the stage for the central conflict of Kantara Chapter 1, where the forest, its deities, and the next generation of heroes will face challenges against greed, cruelty, and dark ambitions.
Kantara Chapter 1 Story: Kulshekhar’s Hunt and Berma’s Arrival
Since childhood, Rajshekhar, Kulshekhar’s father, had been telling his children stories about Kantara forest. Due to the traumatic events Rajshekhar had witnessed, he feared Kantara and wanted his children to never enter the forest. To keep them away, he told them myths about monsters living in Kantara, hoping they would stay safe.
However, when Kulshekhar grows up and becomes king, he decides to venture into Kantara for a hunting expedition. He takes his army and several friends and marches deep into the forest. During the hunt, he kills a monkey and a deer, but before he can continue, he and his soldiers are suddenly attacked. The attackers begin eliminating the soldiers one by one. Alarmed, Kulshekhar and his friends flee, leaving behind the trapped soldiers.
It is soon revealed that the attackers are the indigenous tribes of Kantara forest. Among them is Berma, the main hero of the movie, played by Rishab Shetty. Berma and his companions see that all soldiers have been defeated, except for one who is unconscious. They carry the animals they hunted and the remaining soldier back to their village.
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The soldier wakes up and introduces himself as Chena, explaining that he was a companion of the soldiers killed by Berma’s group. Berma asks Chena where they come from. Chena tells them about the Kadamba kingdom, where the new king Kulshekhar rules and where they had come for hunting. When the attack occurred, the king and his friends fled, leaving soldiers behind.
Curious, Berma tells Chena that they are all forest tribespeople, but they have heard that Kadamba is a highly advanced kingdom. They want to see and learn how developed the outside world is. Chena has no choice but to take Berma and his companions to the kingdom.
To blend in, Berma and his group wear the uniforms of the soldiers they defeated. This allows them to enter Kadamba kingdom without suspicion. Once inside, they are amazed by the wealth and grandeur of the kingdom and begin exploring. However, the soldiers of the kingdom grow suspicious and capture Berma and his friends, taking them to the king.
While in the palace, Berma meets Princess Kanak and is instantly impressed by her. In front of King Kulshekhar, Berma introduces himself, revealing that they all come from Kantara forest. The name Kantara strikes fear in the king and the court, as they believe monsters live there.
Fearing the “monsters,” King Kulshekhar orders them imprisoned and plans to kill them. However, Rajshekhar, his father, disagrees, refusing to harm the people of Kantara. Instead, they decide to sell them to merchants at the port, as foreign traders regularly visit and require slaves.
Kulshekhar assigns a man, who is addicted to tobacco, to handle the sale. Berma cleverly gives him Kantara tobacco, knowing he will indulge in it, which forms the beginning of a plan to outsmart him.
Berma’s Return to Kantara and the Clash with Kulshekhar
Berma cleverly gets the tobacco-addicted man drunk, allowing him and his companions to escape from the palace and head straight back to Kantara. On their journey, Berma observes various aspects of the Kadamba kingdom, especially the port where a large spice trade occurs. He realizes that the spices from Kantara fetch high prices in the market, giving him an idea to expand his village’s prosperity.
Upon reaching Kantara, Berma begins cultivating the land and transports the spices from the forest to the port for sale. The trade brings great wealth, and in exchange for his goods, Berma acquires weapons, fine clothes, food, and other valuables, improving the lives of his people significantly. Kantara begins to thrive under Berma’s leadership.
However, Princess Kanak, Kulshekhar’s sister, learns of the trade. She does not prohibit Berma and his people from trading but insists that they pay taxes, as the port belongs to her kingdom. Berma, however, refuses, asserting that everything belongs to nature—the land, air, and resources—and trade is simply part of that natural order. Kanak admires Berma’s principles and slowly grows fond of him, though Berma maintains distance, knowing that a princess and a tribal leader cannot easily unite.
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As prosperity grows in Kantara, the spices begin to dwindle, so Berma ventures deeper into the forest with his companions to find more. They reach the territory of the Kadpa tribals, the black-clad group practicing dark magic and sorcery. Upon realizing intruders have entered, the Kadpa tribals attack, killing one of Berma’s companions. Just as Berma himself is about to be killed, the divine tiger—seen earlier in the film protecting the infant Berma—appears and defends him and his group, forcing the Kadpa tribals to retreat.
Berma and his companions return to their village and narrate the entire encounter to the tribal elders. The elders explain that the Kadpa tribals had once sought refuge in Kantara, but they abused the trust, attempting to capture the gods Panjurli and Gulika to steal their powers. Their dark magic caused death and decay in the forest, prompting divine intervention through the sacred tiger, who drove the Kadpa tribals away.
Meanwhile, in the Kadamba kingdom, King Kulshekhar discovers that Berma and his companions were not captured or sold as slaves but returned to Kantara and continued trading at the port. Enraged, he blames Princess Kanak for letting this happen and decides to attack Kantara and annihilate its people.
Kulshekhar’s father, Rajshekhar, tries to stop him. But Kulshekhar cunningly poisons his father, rendering him unconscious for two days, clearing the way for his vengeful plan. Kulshekhar prepares his army to invade Kantara, setting fire to the forest and brutally attacking the villagers, killing elders, women, and children mercilessly.
Hearing the cries, Berma and his companions rush back to find the devastation. At that moment, Gulika Dev, the divine entity, merges with Berma, granting him immense power in an angry, destructive form. Berma, now embodying Gulika Dev, annihilates Kulshekhar’s soldiers and ultimately kills King Kulshekhar himself.
After the battle, Gulika Dev separates from Berma, who returns to his normal self. The village surveys the destruction and mourns the losses. Two days later, Rajshekhar awakens to see his son Kulshekhar dead and learns the full story of the massacre and Berma’s divine intervention. Heartbroken but resilient, he reclaims his role as king and continues to govern the kingdom.
The Betrayal, the Divine Powers, and the Final Battle
At this point, King Rajshekhar begins constructing a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva within his palace. But when the Shivalinga is installed, it mysteriously breaks on its own. Alarmed, the king’s chief priest explains that this is the result of divine anger, caused by the actions of Rajshekhar’s son, Kulshekhar, in Kantara. The priests advise that to restore harmony, Rajshekhar must seek reconciliation with the people of Kantara, as only then will the divine wrath subside.
Following this advice, Princess Kanak, Rajshekhar’s daughter, travels to Kantara carrying a message of peace. She approaches Berma and his companions, extending a hand of friendship. However, Berma, distrustful after past betrayals, refuses her offer, citing the devastation caused to his people and the anger of their gods, particularly Panjurli Dev. Kanak assures him that she understands the losses but insists that they now seek forgiveness from Panjurli Dev and offers an invitation: she wants the tribal deity to be installed in the Shiva temple at the royal palace so that the gods remain close to Lord Shiva and receive divine blessings.
Berma agrees, and the people of Kantara carry Panjurli Dev’s stone to the palace, where it is installed with great ceremony. Peace is temporarily restored, and the two communities begin to reconcile.
However, the next morning, a mysterious illness strikes the children of the tribe, leaving them on the brink of death. A ritual reveals that the gods have been captured, and the culprits are none other than the Kadpa tribals, who had long sought to imprison the deities and steal their powers. It becomes clear that the Kadpa tribals, along with Rajshekhar and Princess Kanak, have orchestrated this plot. Years earlier, they had manipulated the royal family to advance their dark magic plans, even raising Kanak with their mystical powers and secretly learning from Berma’s own divine essence, stealing strands of his hair and nails to strengthen their spells.
Upon discovering this treachery, Berma mobilizes his tribe, arming everyone for war. They march into the Kadamba kingdom, where Rajshekhar, Kanak, and their forces are fully prepared. A massive battle ensues, with hundreds falling on both sides. In the chaos, Berma faces his father Rajshekhar directly, but the princess uses her black magic to enhance her father’s strength, giving him a temporary advantage.
At the crucial moment, an old man named Makara, first seen fishing at the start of the story, arrives. His divine nature is hinted throughout the film, and he guides Berma to a sacred river and cave. Inside the cave, Berma discovers a Shivalinga with a Trishul beside it, representing Lord Shiva.
As Berma approaches, a monstrous creature resembling Nandi attacks him. The battle is fierce, but Berma grasps the Trishul, and in that moment, Shiva’s divine powers flow into him. Simultaneously, a great serpent coils around him, and Gulika Dev manifests within Berma, merging his tribal strength with divine wrath. Together with the Tiger Deity, Berma enters the battlefield, attacking the Kadpa tribals and Rajshekhar’s army.
Princess Kanak’s interference initially diverts Gulika Dev’s attack, but he calls upon his sister, Choundi, who joins him. Together, they defeat Kanak and Rajshekhar, bringing the battle to an end. The people of Kantara are victorious, and Panjurli and Gulika Dev are freed from the Kadpa tribals’ control.
To celebrate, the tribe performs the Bhuta Kola ritual, where both Panjurli and Gulika Dev are honored, with Berma performing Gulika Dev’s role. After the ceremony, Berma returns to the very well where he was found as a child, disappearing from sight. This signifies that Berma was sent by the divine, completing his mission to protect Kantara before returning to his celestial origin.
With this, the movie concludes, leaving the door open for a sequel to continue the saga.
