Kantara (soundtrack)

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Kantara is the soundtrack album by B. Ajaneesh Loknath for the 2022 Kannada film Kantara, directed by Rishab Shetty. The film stars Shetty, Sapthami Gowda, Kishore, and Achyuth Kumar. Lyrics were written by Pramod Maravanthe, Shashiraj Kavoor, and Trilok Trivikrama. The album has six songs and was released on 12 October 2022.

Rishab Shetty wanted folk music to be a core part of the story, and Loknath used about 30–40 musicians. Much of the recording happened in an open-air theatre in Mangalore with groups playing traditional instruments like Dollu, Huli Kunitha Dollu, Thase, Nadaswaram, and Chanda to emphasize Tulu Nadu’s folk sound. Around 40 hours of work went into the background score, which Loknath enjoyed as a space for experimentation. He blended flute with dollu, added a didgeridoo for a scream-like effect, and used kazoo to enrich the sound. For the Daiva dance, Damaru and gaggara were used, and sound recordists Arun and Shine helped capture the effects. The folk elements were then fused with western music to heighten the cinematic experience. In songs like Varahaa Roopam, Loknath combined Carnatic ragas with folk and Western rock, and even used a throat-singing-inspired approach to convey religiosity in a scene.

The team drew on Jaanapada songs and guidance from folklore expert Mime Ramdas to represent traditional music authentically. Some Adivasi folk songs were incorporated into the album and score. The only track released before the film was Singara Siriye, written by Pramod Maravanthe and sung by Vijay Prakash and Ananya Bhat, on 15 August 2022. Its music video features Yakshagana artist Nagraj Panar Valtur and highlights Kundapura folk singing by women.

The full soundtrack was released by Hombale Films on 12 October 2022, with all tracks heard in the film. A Tulu version of Vaa Poruluya was added as a bonus on 18 October. The Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam versions followed on 24 October. Critics praised the music for capturing regional folklore and the film’s ethos, with many calling it explosive, soothing, or marvellous.

There was a copyright controversy over Varaha Roopam, alleged to imitate Thaikkudam Bridge’s Navarasam (2015). The Kerala High Court ordered stopping the song’s use in theatres and online, and the video was removed from YouTube in November 2022. During the Amazon Prime release on 24 November 2022, a revised version of the track was used, which disappointed some fans. The original version was later restored after a district court lifted the ban, and the case was dismissed on 25 October 2023 following a private settlement.