THE GENERATION GAP IN CARNAL, MATERIAL & PHILOSOPHICAL TERMS

Roman Polanski, the renowned Polish-French movie director, once said: “Cinema should make you forget you are sitting in a theater. Well, "ತಿಥಿ" ('Thithi', meaning “Death Ceremony”)– a 2015 Kannada film that won widespread critical acclaim– gets you so engrossed in the narrative that it transports you to a remote, nondescript village in South Karnataka. An Indo-American joint endeavour, the comedy drama is about the social disarray and succession dynamics that engulf three generations of a family when the 101-year old patriarch dies leaving behind five acres of land.

The independent flick starts with cranky Century Gowda (Singri Gowda), a wilted, withered centenarian of the village, taunting passersby. He then wobbles across to relieve himself when death comes knocking. Soon, the villlage is abuzz with talk of a grand community lunch on the eleventh day to celebrated the departed soul's ascension to the Lord's abobe.

The deceased progenitor's son, Gaddappa (Channegowda)– a lazy, listless man, flowing beard, wild hair, unkempt clothes and all– leads a detached Bohemian life; whiles away time wandering aimlessly, puffing beedis (mini cigars) and slugging cheap brandy.

So, Century Gowda's grandson, Thammanna (Thammegowda S) assumes the responsibility of hosting the ceremony. And, that presents an opportunity to the money-minded, materialistic fella to deceptively usurp and illegally sell the dead man's property. But, the catch: Gaddappa's death has to be faked to facilitate the transaction– quite possible by greasing palms of officials! The hush money though is too large; so, borrowing becomes a sine qua non for 'cash-strapped' Thammanna.

In all of the hectic exertions for the eleventh-day rites, Thammanna's adolescent son, Abhi (Abhishek HN) is of little help to his father, because he is smitten with a nomadic shepherd girl, Kaveri (Pooja SM) and is preoccupied seducing the lass. Thus, three interwoven sub-plots– of metaphysical bliss, material greed and physical lust across the three lineal descendants of Century Gowda, blended with directorial realism– provide for a gripping tale that unfolds on screen.

The movie has no-frills, no-niceties– it is sans melodramatic content; and, has no background score. Yet, the raw finesse and rustic essence of the narrative is enamouring and provides for an absorbing experience. At the heart of the delightful entertainer is Eregowda's inspired writing, which uses the local dialect and includes natural dialogues. On top, it amalgamates a plethora of human emotions and compulsions– need-'n-greed, lust-'n-trust (or, the lack of it)...all have been panoramically presented on celluloid. The local customs and conventions depicted in the movie lack a certain authenticity. But, who cares? The underlying human flaws and failings resonate at a global level.

Director Raam Reddy has struck gold with his debut endeavour. The pace is slow, relaxed and deliberate; yet, the narrative is brisk, breakneck...it grips you in a tight immersive embrace. Raam has set the bar so high with his zen-master-like work that emulating it will be quite a challenge in the future. No hyperbole that!

Casting, to quote the famous American film director, John Frankenheimer, “is 65 percent of directing.” That is where Raam scores big. His entire cast is made up of natives picked from the villages of the area.

The deadpan, matter-of-fact storytelling in the film is reminiscent of the cult comedies, such as, Midnight Run and Some Like It Hot.

Thithi too is one of the greatest Kannada, nay, Indian comedy dramas...ever! A MUST WATCH!

I rate it: 9.0 on 10!