The Real Cost of Special Effects in ‘Kantara Chapter 1’ — Is It Justified?

October 24, 2025: The prequel to the sensational hit Kantara has arrived. This new film is called ‘Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1’. The first Kantara movie was a surprise success. It was made with a small budget of around ₹16 crore.

The sequel, however, is a very big film. It has a massive reported budget. This huge budget is mainly because of the visual effects (VFX).

This article looks at the cost of these special effects. We will also see if spending so much money on VFX is the right move for this kind of film.

Why Is the Budget for ‘Kantara Chapter 1’ So High?

The original Kantara focused on a village story. It used natural locations and practical effects a lot. The prequel is a much grander movie. It is a period film set in pre-colonial Karnataka.

Reports suggest that the total budget for ‘Kantara Chapter 1’ is a massive ₹100–125 crore.

This is many times more than the first film. The producers, Hombale Films, have decided to make it a huge visual spectacle.

The Big VFX Investment

The biggest part of this massive budget goes to the visual effects. The prequel explores the origin of the Daiva tradition. It shows ancient roots and mythological stories. To show this on the screen, the team needs a lot of computer-generated imagery (CGI).

• Creature and Animal VFX: The film features many mythical creatures and animals. To make these look real, the makers hired top global VFX companies. Firms like The Mill and MPC are involved. These companies have worked on big Hollywood films like The Lion King and Narnia.
• Mythological Grandeur: The story requires showing ancient times, grand sets, and divine elements. For example, a war sequence was shot with thousands of people and required visual enhancement. The VFX team has to make this ancient world come alive for the audience. This takes a lot of money and time.

Other Cost Factors

Apart from VFX, other costs also went up:

• Massive Sets: Huge, large-scale sets, like the one built in Kundapura, were created.
• Rishab Shetty’s Vision: Director and actor Rishab Shetty is said to have personally invested money and chose a profit-sharing model. This shows the scale of the project.
• Pan-India Release: The movie is planned for release in multiple languages (Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali, English). This requires a large marketing and distribution budget.

Is Kantara Chapter 1 High VFX Cost Justified?

Spending a big amount on special effects in an Indian film is always a risk. But for ‘Kantara Chapter 1,’ it seems justified.

Connecting Myth and Reality

The core of Kantara is its mix of culture, ritual, and mythology. The prequel goes deeper into the “legend.” The special effects are not just for action. They are needed to show the divine elements and the transformation of the Daiva. A simple visual would not work for this epic scale story. The VFX is a tool to make the legend feel real and spectacular for the audience.

High Expectations from a Blockbuster Franchise

The first Kantara was a huge blockbuster. It earned over ₹400 crore globally with a small budget. This set a very high bar for the next film. The audience now expects a grander visual experience. They want something bigger and better than before. The high VFX cost is a way to meet these huge pan-India expectations.

The Financial Returns

The huge budget also shows the producers’ confidence in the film’s earning power. Even before its release, the film has earned big money.

Amazon Prime Video reportedly bought the digital streaming rights for ₹125 crore. This amount is equal to the film’s entire budget! The non-theatrical rights (Digital, Satellite, Music) have reportedly fetched over ₹200 crore. This means the cost of making the film is already covered before it hits the theatres.

The box office collection will be pure profit after the distribution costs are met. The film has the potential to cross the ₹800 crore mark worldwide. This proves that the investment in a grand scale and high-quality VFX was a smart business decision.

So,

Cost of Special Effects in ‘Kantara Chapter 1’ — Is It Justified?

BoxOfficeWala Opinion

The prequel ‘Kantara: A Legend – Chapter 1’ has a huge budget of ₹100–125 crore, much of which is for its high-end visual effects (VFX). This large investment is needed to bring the film’s mythical creatures, ancient settings, and grand scale to life. Top global companies are doing the VFX to meet the huge pan-India expectations. The cost is justified because the film’s business deals have already covered the budget. This makes the high cost a good business move for a potentially record-breaking film.