The Tulu dubbed version of the hit Kannada movie Kantara released in overseas theaters on November 25. It is slated for theatrical release in India on December 2. Sharing the news with fans, Hombale Films, the production banner that bankrolled Kantara wrote, “#KantaraInTulu Releasing in on , & on , .” Written and directed by Rishab Shetty, who has also played the lead role in the film, the Kannada movie released in theaters on September 30.
Following its massive run at the box office, the makers decided to release the dubbed version of the film in Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu and Tamil in October this year. Very few Kannada films have been dubbed and released in Tulu in the past. The 2015 Kannada film Mamu Tea Angadi which tracks the lives of a group of friends, was reportedly dubbed and released in Tulu. Similarly, 2019 Kannada film Panchatantra, a rom-com featuring Yogaraj Bhat in the lead, was dubbed and released in Tulu in 2020, according to a report by Kannada news outlet Udayavani.
Kantara is set against the backdrop of a dominant caste landlord grabbing the land of the local tribal community. The movie weaves together native cultures and rituals such as Yakshagana, Bhoota Kola, Daivaradhane and Kambala practiced in coastal Karnataka. Following Kantara’s successful box office run in other languages, fans who speak Tulu had posted tweets urging the makers to release the film in Tulu. Some social media users also welcomed the announcement made by the makers of the film.
#KantaraInTulu Releasing in on , & on , .
— Hombale Films (@hombalefilms) November 24, 2022
Watch Trailer here: https://t.co/Kb8lFLhR9a#Kantara @shetty_rishab @hombalefilms @gowda_sapthami @HombaleGroup @AJANEESHB #ArvindKashyap @KantaraFilm pic.twitter.com/ESJAGDgIqS
Time has come to witness the Tulunadu's Culture shown in Kantara in its original Language.
— Rahul8183 (@Rahul81831) November 24, 2022
Can't wait #KantarainTulu https://t.co/jcXqcH1UtE
Thank you @shetty_rishab
— Prashanth Kommunje (@Prashk92) November 24, 2022
Waiting...
ಎಂಕ್ ಮಸ್ತ್ ಖುಷಿಯಾಂಡ್#RishabShetty #Kantara #HombaleFilms #Kantaratulu #tulu_nadu pic.twitter.com/MU5a3hhIlE
The story of Kantara is Belongs to Tulunadu or Tulavanadu.. Part of Coastal region of Karnataka.. There people speaking Tulu Language... So Production house decided to release it in Tulu Language...
— Ashwath Poojary (@AshwathKumarM2) November 24, 2022
While the film opened to positive reviews from critics and fans, it also received flak as the song ‘Varaha Roopam’ equated the native culture of Bhoota Kola with the Hindu god Vishnu’s incarnation, Varaha. The song also courted controversy when Kerala-based band Thaikkudam Bridge pressed charges against Kantara’s makers in September, saying that ‘Varaha Roopam’ is plagiarised from the band’s Intellectual Property (IP) ‘Navarasam’.
Two Kerala courts had issued orders passing injunction against Kantara makers, preventing the song from being streamed on popular music platforms. When the film started streaming on Over-the-top (OTT) platform Amazon Prime Video, the older track was replaced with a new version of ‘Varaha Roopam’.