to the government, and tried to evict the villagers as encroachers. Shiva’s girlfriend Leela (Sapthami Gowda), who has just got a job as a forest guard, is caught between her duties and her loyalty to the villagers.
Human greed results in violence, deaths on both sides of the divide and divine intervention in a vivid, magical climax.
Combining myth and folk tales with modern-day concerns of conservation and the rights of the forest-dwellers, Shetty has made that rare commercial film that tells a relevant story in a visually attractive form designed to attract audiences. Mainstream filmmakers are often accused of sacrificing substance for style, Shetty has deftly balanced both. Along with the cinematographer, the sound and production designer, plus the action director deserve to be applauded.
The film takes a little while to take off, but once it does, it quickly establishes the conflicts and shows how an ordinary man has it in him to become a hero, or even a demigod.
The sexism apparent in how Shiva treats Leela is one major sore point in an otherwise splendid film.
Kangara
Directed by Rishab Shetty
Cast: Rishab Shetty, Sapthami Gowda, Kishore Kumar G and others
On Amazon Prime
