Kantara (transl. Mysterious forest, also known as Kantara: A Legend) is a 2022 Indian Kannada-language action thriller film written and directed by Rishab Shetty, and produced by Vijay Kiragandur and Chaluve Gowda under Hombale Films. The film stars Shetty in dual roles, along with Sapthami Gowda, Kishore, and Achyuth Kumar.

Blending elements of coastal Karnataka folklore, spirit possession rituals, and divine belief systems, the story centres around Bhuta Kola, a traditional form of worship practiced in the region. It follows a Kambala champion who clashes with an upright forest officer, leading to a larger conflict involving sacred land, ancestral legacy, and the balance between nature and man-made law.

Set and filmed in Keradi in coastal Karnataka, principal photography began in August 2021. The cinematography was handled by Arvind S. Kashyap, with music composed by B. Ajaneesh Loknath. The action sequences were choreographed by Vikram More, and the production design handled by debutant Dharani Gange Putra.

The film was released on 30 September 2022 to critical acclaim, with praise for its cast's performance (particularly of Shetty and Kishore), direction, background score, and portrayal of native mythology and traditions. It became one of the highest-grossing Kannada films of all time. A prequel, titled Kantara: Chapter 1, was released on 2 October 2025.

The film was featured at the 54th International Film Festival of India in the Indian Panorama section, where it won the Silver Peacock - Special Jury Award. At the 70th National Film Awards, Rishab Shetty won the Best Actor Award and the film received the Best Popular Film Award.

In 1847, a king in coastal Karnataka lives with his loving wife and children but does not find peace. He sets out on a journey to discover spirituality and bliss. He comes upon a holy stone in a forest occupied by the demigod Panjurli, who protects the forest's villagers. The king donates a vast portion of his land to the villagers in exchange for taking the holy stone with him. Panjurli warns the king, through a human-medium, that his family and descendants should keep their word and not reclaim the land; if they do, then they will incur the wrath of Panjurli's companion, the ferocious demigod Guliga.

In 1970, the king's descendant asks a Bhoota Kola performer, who is possessed by Panjurli, to make the locals hand over the land to him. The performer refuses and states that if the former goes to court for the land's possession, then the Daiva will deliver his verdict on the court's steps. The descendant is verbally skeptical of the performer's possession by Panjurli, to which the performer replies he would vanish if he is possessed, after which he runs into a forest and is indeed never seen again. As warned and professed by the performer, a few months later, on the steps of the court, the king's descendant dies mysteriously while en route to argue over the land's possession.

20 years later, Murali, a forest officer, is tasked with converting the villagers' land into a forest reserve. However, he is challenged by Shiva, a Kambala athlete and the missing performer's son from the Kaadubettu village. Shiva is backed by his patron and the village's landlord, Devendra Suttooru, who is another one of the king's descendants. Although Shiva has repeatedly been asked to perform the Bhoota Kola, he refuses due to the trauma of his father's disappearance. Instead, his cousin, Guruva, takes his place. Murali and his staff start erecting a fence along the earmarked forest reserve, and Shiva falls in love with his childhood friend, Leela. He uses his connections with Devendra to appoint her as a forest guard. The villagers try to stop the fencing, but the police and forest guards (including Leela) brutally suppress them, creating a rift between Leela and Shiva even though she was following orders.