Chitra Varga

Roman Polanski, the renowned Polish-French movie director, once said: “C inema 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, ...