Stories from the hinterland should reach a global audience. Arpita Singh reports from the BRICS Film Panchayat
Whoever I interacted on road while walking was like a star to me, I wanted all of them to act in my film, whether he is a rickshaw puller, shopkeeper or a common man, says Raam Reddy, the budding filmmaker from Bengaluru.
Born and brought up in Bengaluru, Reddy, started his directing career at very young age of 24. A passionate writer Reddy says, he can find stories everywhere and he likes to showcase the realism in India on-screen. This movie is based on a realistic story, Reddy says, “I don't usually start with a story. For Thithi, I first chose the location and then headed for the story.” He started working on the story almost after three months of finding the location. Thithi is a simple and universal story of an unassuming saint like man of 75 years old named as ‘Gadappa’. After achieving much acclaim for his movie Thithi, he says money is not so important for brilliant films. “We can easily find financers, but the content should be strong. Thithi is on the verge of going global,” Reddy said while addressing the Film Panchayat held at the ongoing five-days BRICS Film Festival.
Stories from hinterland are basically the regional language stories or the culturally rooted films depicting about the culture and tradition of that particular society, says Reddy. Showing his concern, Reddy says, “only 2 percent of regional films are successful, so it’s a challenge for the filmmakers to work more efficiently in this region.”
Reddy, whose debut film Thithi was one of the most sought-after films at Bengaluru International Film Festival, said that, “Realism in India is something which captivated me to explore through cinema. There are no boundaries for writers and the only thing which is necessary is the content, it should be universal,” Rama Reddy explained.
While talking about his film Tithi, which was screened at BRICS Film Festival, Reddy said subtitle culture is growing with a great pace and the regional movies too are attracting viewers.
Reddy, who is aspiring to be a global filmmaker thinks there are a group of unrecognized people who are born actors. He believes in raw actors, who are untrained and very natural. Through his movie Thithi, Reddy has simply tried to explore the hinterland.
Producer, Ana Stella de Almeida Quesado from Brazil and a South African director, Mandla Dube were also part of the panel discussion at the Film Panchayat. The main theme of the Film Panchayat was ‘Stories from hinterland going global’.
While discussing about the financing of films, Ana Stella, a Brazilian producer said that, “Films have social responsibility and it's not necessary that a film should be commercial.” According to Mandla Dube, a South African director, film festivals are a great medium to promote and get their movies recognised.
Talking about his future projects, Reddy said, “he is planning to bring some unique and different story, which is not showcased earlier”.