National Award-winning director Raam Reddy on 'subtitle' cinema and why opening with fewer screens is good
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 26, 2016)


National-Award winning film Thithi's director Raam Reddy is understandably excited about his film getting a countrywide release. The rustic comedy which draws from the everyday stories emerging from rural Karnataka and features non-actors has already travelled to festivals like Locarno International Film Festival, the Marrakech Film Festival and MAMI. At the Mumbai International Film Festival it won the Jury Grand Prize in the international competition category and has bagged a total of 13 awards in the course of its travels.

Reddy takes us through the serendipitous process of making Thithi and how it has grown into a massive success.

Excerpts from the interview:

What was the starting point for Thithi?
Thithi's journey started with the location. I've known my co-writer Ere Gowda for 15 years. He was the security guard at my dad's office in Bangalore. We both have had parallel journeys. I started with poetry, photography and music because I was bored of economics (he is an economics major from St. Stephen's College, Delhi) and turned to films because it combined all my interests. During the same time, Gowda left his security job and started working with my mother who is a Padma Shri awardee social worker. He started shooting and editing events and got into documentation. I'd gone to Gowda's hometown, Node Koppalu near Bangalore, and I realised that it is a great place to set a film. So I went to a film school in Prague with the single motive of making this film.

So you began working on the film without a story?
For me, the starting point has never been the story. We wanted to hold the story until the place had given us enough. Following months of exploration, the intrinsic humour of the place became apparent to us. I wanted to work with multiple generations as it opens up the creative space. So, we began hunting for three characters — Gadappa, the grandfather, Thamanna, the father and Abhi, the son — without knowing how they will become a part of the film.

Given the title, what role does death play in the film?
The film opens to a death but it is not a dark comedy. There is not much irony or sarcasm, it's a straightforward, light-hearted tale which maintains its artistic integrity but is not serious. It is a realistic experience of village life — carefully crafted to have an intrinsic brand of humour particular to the film. We started with a death, so we thought let's keep the guy old so no one's upset and the death became a device for the structure.

How did the film attract the attention of international festivals?
I think the first boost was when Maxmedia came on board as co-producers when we pitched the film at NFDC's Film Bazaar. They suggested chopping off 40 minutes and containing it to its present runtime of two hours. Subsequently, the reception we got at festivals and the National Award validated our work. A personal achievement was getting a heartening feedback from Francis Ford Coppola, who saw the film at the Marrakech Film Festival.

Despite all the buzz around the film, did the number of screens it got in Karnataka upset you?
I am an economics graduate and I believe opening with a few screens is a good thing. The film's worth helps it grow organically. If we open small, we spread immediately; you open weak, and you're out. In Bangalore, we opened with just 13 screens but by the following Monday, we had more, as it was running in full capacity in most theatres. Indie films haven't made too much money, so exhibitors need proof. But it's a great time for subtitled cinema and films like Sairat have set the trend for the rest.