Kantara Chapter 1 teaser - Is Rishab Shetty playing Panjurli Daiva? Or Lord Parashurama? Internet wonders...

The first-look of Kantara: Chapter 1 has captivated everyone and social media cannot help but rave about what Rishab Shetty & team are putting together. While the overall look and feel of the film along with the spectacular visuals and Ajaneesh Loknath's score are being widely discussed, Rishab's look in the upcoming instalment has triggered a fascinating discussion online.

The actor-director dons a powerful avatar that includes him wielding a trident in one arm and an axe in the other, while his physical appearance features long hair and a beard, along with 'boar-shaped earrings'. His bare chest and face are seen smeared with blood, which complements the rage and valour that his eyes carry. All in all, it's a striking sight that has got everyone talking and fittingly, various theories regarding who this iconic figure could be have also found a prominent place on social media.

Lord Parashurama or Panjurli Daiva?

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In all likelihood, Kantara: Chapter 1 is an origin story that dates back to the Kadamba Dynasty's reign in the fourth and fifth centuries ADs. Both Panjurli and Guliga Daivas were part of the central idea of Kantara, the 2022 film, whose concluding moments show Rishab Shetty's Shiva being possessed by Guliga and then overpowering his adversities in a brute manner. Following that we see him performing Bhoota Kola after being possessed by Panjurli Daiva and then later disappearing into the forest, much like his father (a Bhoota Kola performer himself) did a couple of decades ago.

Now, what social media reckons is that the next instalment or 'Chapter 1' of Kantara will focus on the origin of Panjurli Daiva. The Kadamba Dynasty is important again because it is said that the Panjurli deity rejuvenated or found prominence again during the aforementioned regime, making the time period all the more relevant to the said origin story. Rishab Shetty's look featuring the boar-shaped earrings only adds fuel to these speculations.

Similarly, several social media users opine that Kantara: Chapter 1 will trace the origins of Lord Parashurama, who is regarded as the creator of the Sapta-Konkana region, including the Tulu Nadu. The same rage and valour that we referred to earlier seem perfectly embodied by the character that Rishab Shetty plays, but there is no substantial evidence, however, to support that the upcoming film will delve into the Lord Parashurama story.

"Looks like two horns of Panjurli..." says Rakshit Shetty

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Actor-filmmaker Rakshit Shetty, too, referred to Panjurli Daiva in his tweet while showering praise on the teaser, adding that the earrings evoke the feeling of two horns of Panjurli running through the character's beard. It emerged not very long ago that Kantara 2 or the upcoming prequel will explore the backstory deity that features in the 2022 film and though we do not have any more information than speculations at the moment, it looks quite apparent that Kantara: Chapter 1 is an origin story about Panjurli and its relationship with Lord Shiva in the Hindu mythology.