“This is the place where Century Gowda was found dead... And this is where Gaddappa’s grandson met his girlfriend,” a youngster at Node Koppalu village near Pandavapura explains to a visitor.
He is not talking about a historical event at a historical place, but describing the spots where Thithi — the Kannada film that has won multiple national and international awards besides being a box office hit — was shot. The avant-garde dark comedy film did not use professional actors, but people of the village to tell the story of the 100-year-old Century Gowda and his extended family.
The success of the film has brought Node Koppalu, a nondescript village with unpaved roads, open drains and stray cattle, on the tourism map in Mandya.
People come from Bengaluru and Mysuru to the village, says Channamade Gowda of the neighbouring Chikkamarali village. Most of them visit Node Koppalu to trace the footprints of the main characters of Thithi — Century Gowda, his son Gadappa, Gadappa’s son Thamanna, and his son Abhi. They take pictures where Thithi frames were shot.
“Some walk along the railway track to see the burial place portrayed in the film,” explains Dase Gowda of Node Koppalu. Local residents volunteer as guides, but never expect anything in return. They take pride in welcoming visitors and taking them around the ‘ Thithi spots’.
With the stupendous success of Thithi , people of the village who became “actors” are getting offers from other movie makers. In fact, they had all gone for a film shoot when this correspondent visited the village. Now the Thithi team is making another movie Tharle Village and most of the actors of Thithi are performing in it.
One of the actors who had not gone for the shoot, Channaveere Gowda, who plays the role of the Thithi performer in the film, said he had never expected the film would become such a hit. “Wherever I go, people recognise me. They shake hands and take photographs with me. They also ask me to say dialogues of Thithi !” he said, with a big smile.
