'In the Belly of a Tiger' to premiere at Berlin
Indian director Jatla Siddartha's newest film, In the Belly of a Tiger, is a true melting pot of cultures and the cast and crew includes Indian, American, Chinese, Indonesian, and Taiwanese artists-technicians. The film—which will debut at the Berlin Film Festival next week—blends elements of surreal horror and selfless love and is based on true events that transpired in rural India. Siddhartha has co-written it alongside Amanda Mooney. Here's everything you need to know about it.
This is what happens in the film
The film follows the journey of two landless farmers, Bhagole and Prabhata, who return to their village after failing to secure work in the city. Their village, however, is under attack due to a deadly tiger. The couple depends on their son's earnings from a brick factory job, but since that doesn't suffice, they decide to sacrifice themselves to the tiger in the tragic hope of government compensation.
Film's multicultural and global journey
In the Belly of a Tiger began its development in 2018, receiving support from Busan's Asian Cinema Fund. The film then participated in various project labs and co-production markets globally. Its crew includes Japanese composer Umebayashi Shigeru and sound designer and Academy awardee Resul Pookutty, while the color grading is by a mainland Chinese studio owned by action director Wuershan. Per Sidhartha, the film "uses Indian mythology as a signal of hope to tell a deeply personal love story."
Director's research and previous work
To prepare for the film, Siddhartha immersed himself in the village setting, conducting research and meeting families who had lost their land due to mounting debts. These families resorted to alternative means to support their loved ones. The movie predominantly features non-professional actors. As for Siddhartha's career, he is known for Love and Shukla, a story about a newly married man trying to find space in a one-room apartment he shares with his family.
Check out another Hindi film based on similar plot
In 2022, Pankaj Tripathi starred in Sherdil: The Pilibhit Saga, another harrowingly true story about a similar incident. Directed by Srijit Mukherji, it also starred Neeraj Kabi, Sayani Gupta, Madhav Jha, and Sohag Sen. Netflix's synopsis of the film reads, "A determined village leader embarks on a journey in search of a dangerous tiger that's threatening the livelihood of his people."
