6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Rakshith Thirthahalli: The King Cobra is both a symbol and a presence in Timmanna Mottegalu
If forests could talk, probably Rakshith Thirthahalli would be their translator. The director, best known for his socially conscious films like Hombanna, which examined forest encroachment, and Yentha Katha Maaraya, centred on the diversion of the Sharavathi River to Bengaluru, now returns with what he calls his most personal and environmentally charged work yet: Timmanna Mottegalu. Scheduled to release in theatres on June 27, the film is both written and directed by Rakshith and produced under the banner of Shree Krishna Productions, with Adarsha Iyengar making his debut as producer.
This time, the filmmaker is set to take audiences deep into the Western Ghats, exploring not just the geography of the region but the intricate emotional and ecological relationships that exist within it. In this film, the forest is not merely a backdrop; it is about the unsettling rhythm of an ecological imbalance. According to Rakshith, Timmanna Mottegalu is a cinema meditation on the human-animal connection, generational vulnerability, and the silent devastation caused by human interference with nature.
'This is a very personal story for me. It's about emotional intimacy, yes—but also about territory. Not just land, but instinct and survival. At the heart of the story is the King Cobra, a symbol that serves both literal and metaphorical purposes throughout the narrative. The film, shot entirely in the Western Ghats, follows a rural family's interactions with increasing sightings of serpents, especially of King Cobras, local belief systems, and the uneasy coexistence between humans and beasts.
