Rishabh Shetty’s “Kantara,” which means the mystic forest, is a combination of folklore with the story of a village that is defensive of its surroundings. The movie is a blockbuster and critics from all around the country have lauded the Kannada film.
The mystery of Kantara
The climax of the Rishab Shetty starrer is being talked about the most. Lord Guliga possessing Shiva for his final act has become the talk of the town, but the protagonist later disappearing in the woods has left viewers thinking. Where did Shiva Go? And was that ‘circle of fire’ around the Panjurli Daiva when it vanished?
In the beginning, the King brings the stone from the villagers to his palace by accepting a few agreements from the Panjurli Daiva. A century later, a descendant of the King demands the Kola ritual performer (Father of Shiva (Rishab Shetty)) possessed by the Pangurli Daiva to return the land to his family. He even wanted to prove that he is not some god, but a human. The Daiva then challenges the landlord to find him in the forest if he can. After saying this, the Daiva disappears into the woods immediately, but not before he preempts the descendant’s untimely death on the court stairs.
Interestingly, as the Pangurli Daiva disappears, it leaves behind a ‘circle of fire‘ that appears to be mysterious. Looking for his father, Shiva runs into the woods and finds this circle, and the people around it, who also witnessed it, say, “the fire didn’t brighten the forest, instead it pushed it into further darkness.”
The Circle of fire in Kantara
Later in the film’s climax, Shiva, who is a grown-up now, performs the traditional Kola dance. After the dance, the protagonist, who is possessed by the demi-god, hears the shriek of his ancestor from the forest and merges with the forest — similarly dissolving into a circle of fire.
So what does this ‘circle of fire’ refer to? Is Rishab Shetty describing the idea of a ‘black hole‘ in an elegant way? Or is there a different realm where the Daivas and Bhootas usually cross paths?
In regard to the dialogue, that says, “the circle of fire didn’t brighten the forest, instead it pushed it into further darkness,” this reference is similar to how scientists describe a black hole.
The black hole reference
According to NASA’s official website, “A black hole is a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light can not get out. Gravity is so strong because matter has been squeezed into a tiny space. This can happen when a star is dying.”
The latest pictures taken by NASA of the black hole show a fire ring around it. Usually, a black hole can not be seen because strong gravity pulls all of the light into the middle of the black hole. But because of the strong gravity, the stars and gas get trapped around the black hole.
When a black hole and a star are close together, high-energy light is made. This kind of light can not be seen with human eyes. Scientists use satellites and telescopes in space to see high-energy light.
Unfortunately, nobody to date knows what’s inside this dark black hole. The singularity at the center of a black hole is the ultimate no man’s land: a place where matter is squeezed down to an infinitely tiny point, and all concepts of time and space completely break down. And it doesn’t really exist. Something has to replace the singularity, but we’re not exactly sure what.
In Kantara, Rishabh Shetty has shown the existence of divine power in a very beautiful way. He might have brought up the black hole concept to illustrate man and nature. after all the unity of man and nature is a must for the cycle of energy. Human beings live in the realm of nature, they are always surrounded by it and interact with it.
