Belly Full of Dreams

Synopsis

Ramu, at 9 years had a simple dream, not common to boys his age. He dreamed of going to school at the local neighborhood- a neighborhood where he made a living as a rag picker.

As with everything in his life, he invested the dream in the belly of the puppet Narrator Know-it-all.

Know-it-all knowing it all, realized that the dream would lie wasted if he didn't talk about it and so began the fable of Ramu- a rag picker who carries the burden of supporting a lazy father, a sickly mother and a life not facilitating his immediate fundamental right - EDUCATION!

As a result, a hole started to sink into Ramu's little heart and slowly began to eat into the dream. This spurned the idle Know-it-all and his puppet friends to finally act; a young boy's misfortune filled life mirrored by a marionette play, which serves as a metaphor for the greater struggles of the country.

Ramu, in his quest comes across a broken System; fake astrologer who sells him a fallacy, a social activist who uses him to further her financial motives, a thesis student who benefits from his unfortunate plight, a scheming headmaster of a nearby school and finally a "hole in the heart" disease that is threatening to destroy the Nation.

"The System" breaks him completely. Sadly the hole devours the dream.

And suddenly he finds help from the most unexpected quarters- a young girl as a Goddess impersonation. She talks of magic in the air impersonating the everyday things of life - a fallen tooth for instance.

Ramu dares to believe, even if for one moment and an incredible chain of events follow. The universe conspires to help and sends forth a tooth fairy; to unleash her magic, to set right a broken System and to revive the sagging Belly of the puppet Know-it-all.

The story takes buoyancy and propels Ramu and his puppets into a world where cynicism is alien to thought, where a bridge lies between belief and goodness and where fairy tale endings jump outside of colorful books.

Finally Ramu emerges with a Belief so strong that it takes him to his dream. Out of the Belly of a puppet!

Profiles

K.RAGHAVENDRA RAO: Producer

A Legend of Telugu Cinema from South India, K.Raghavendra Rao's career spans 3 decades during which he has directed 102 films to date and has produced over 20 films in various Indian Languages.

Taking off from his father the Late K.S.Prakash Rao, ( a filmmaker with 45 films to his credit), he believed in finding a strong regional voice which has helped shape the nature of Telugu Cinema for generations to come. Many of his films have been huge box-office successes and he is regarded as the icon of commercial film-making. He is credited with identifying and launching the careers of some of the well known artistic and technical talents in Indian Cinema.

He has to his credit over 10 State awards and a Filmfare Life Time Achievement Award for his contribution to Indian Cinema.

It has been a long standing desire for him to work on a complete children's film, (something his father pioneered in Indian Cinema) and out of that need was born " A Belly Full of Dreams".

PRAKASH KOVELAMUDI: Writer and Director

An I.T Engineering Graduate, Prakash Kovelamudi later went on to study acting at the Lee Strasberg Institute in New York for one year. He has since played the lead in two feature films( Neetho and Morning Raga). He has also studied writing under Mahesh Dattani, India's leading contemporary playwright.

Prakash Kovelamudi comes from an Illustrated family of Filmmakers in South India who have been making films for 5 decades and spanning across three generations with more than 150 films to their credit- many of them being milestones in the history of South Indian Cinema. His father K.Raghavendra Rao and his grandfather the Late K.S.Prakash Rao have been instrumental in redefining the nature of Telugu Cinema in South India.

Prakash Kovelamudi, on his part strives to find a voice that resonates an Indian milieu and at the same time is able to transcend language and cultural barriers to have a universal expression.

" A Belly Full of Dreams" is one such film and is Prakash Kovelamudi's first feature film as a writer/director.

RANA DAGGUBATI: Producer

Rana Daggubati is the Managing Director of Spirit Media, a group company of Suresh Productions which has produced 125 films to date and is a part of one of India's finest studio's that stands at the forefront of film production and processing - The Rama Naidu Studios. His grandfather Dr.D. Rama Naidu who holds the world record for producing the most no of films (125) along with his son Suresh Babu (Rana's father) have been instrumental in raising the standards of film-making and being one of the pillars of support of Telugu Cinema in South India.

Rana Daggubati, at 23 is one of the youngest producers in the country with two films - "12" (an experimental DV film) and " A Belly Full of Dreams" already to his credit. A director in his own right, Rana Daggubati has made many short films and commercial specs gaining expertise in the various aspects of filmmaking.

He is among the young breed of filmmakers exploring universal expressions for Indian Cinema.

J.K. BHARAVI: Writer

A Graduate of Literature, J.K Bharavi has over 60 feature films as a writer to his credit. He started his career as a playwright and went on to write 23 plays. In addition, he has penned over 100 songs. He is an exponent of a traditional art of oral storytelling called HariKathas which involves song and dance. He has numerous awards to his credit in a career spanning 3 decades.

He found a wider audience and popular acclaim when he extended his writing abilities to films, the most recent being Annamaya which won 11 of the 12 State Awards.

He has co-written" A Belly Full of Dreams" and brings to it a strong regional flavor.

KIRAN REDDY: Director of Photography

Kiran Reddy is one of the emerging young talents of cinematography in the country. At age 21, he was one of the youngest fellows accepted in to the prestigious American Film Institute Conservatory's cinematography program in Los Angeles.

He has worked extensively on a wide range of projects including short films, feature films, documentaries, music videos and spec commercials gaining valuable technical proficiency in a very short time. His first feature "Naach" directed by the acclaimed director Ram Gopal Varma won him widespread critical acclaim.

In "A Belly Full of Dreams" he has juxtaposed the rather gritty surroundings with a fable-like quality to his images and has developed an exciting visual language to the film.

RP PATNAIK: Music Director

RP Patnaik, this unassuming M.Sc Space Engineering, from Andhra University has almost done what A R Rehman did for Tamil film music a breath fresh air. The recent hits of films like Chitram, Mansanthe Nuvvu and Nuvvu Nenu have one thing in common - Patnaik's lilting music.

RP Patnaik, understandably, likes to innovate and also experiment with the voices. Though a self-confessed fan of R D Burman, Ilayaraja and A R Rehman, Patnaik has seen to that their style does not impinge on his.

SREEKAR PRASAD: Editor

Sreekar Prasad's editing credits include 175 feature films across many Indian Languages including Assamese, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Oriya, etc. He has also worked on award winning documentaries and advertising films.

Considered to be one of the best editors in the country, he has numerous State awards and seven National Awards to his credit, the highest by any editor in the history of Indian Cinema.

SAI KUMAR : Protagonist

A son a barber from a small suburb of Hyderabad, Sai Kumar's acting resonates a charm and innocence particular to his surroundings. An untrained actor with no acting experience, he has successfully portrayed Ramu - a 9 year old boy with aspirations beyond his means.

With a mixture of street smartness and endearing charm, Sai Kumar effortlessly carries the film on his little shoulders and defines the very nature of this fable-like feature.

S.P BALASUBRAHMANYAM: Main Puppet Voice

A playback singer by profession, S.P Balasubrahmanyam is also one of the finest voice artists of India. He holds a world record for having recorded over 36,000 songs which include film and devotional songs in a career span of 35 years. He has 15 State Awards, 6 National Awards and a honorary Doctorate to his credit.

He was awarded by the President of India the prestigious Padma Shri Award - the highest award for excellence in a particular field.

He gives his voice for the Puppet Narrator, the character which drives the story of " A Belly Full Of Dreams".

DADI PADUMJEE : Puppetry

Dadi Pudumjee is the founder and the head of Ishara puppet theatre- India's premier creative puppet company. Trained with one of the icons of world puppetry, Micheal Meschke of Sweden, Pudumjee is one of the pioneers of contemporary puppetry in India.

Apart from being the recipient of several awards, he was the vice president of UNIMA (Union international de la marionette) from 1992 to June 2004. Ishara puppet theatre has toured widely within India as well as Europe, America and the Far East.

Dadi Pudumjee along with his team of puppeteers brought in their expertise to the puppet sequences of " A Belly Full of Dreams".

VIREN THAMBIDORAI: Executive Producer

Viren Thambidorai is a cinematographer by profession, having produced and directed several award winning ad films, documentaries and short films. Production Design for "Rudraksh" and Executive Producer for "19 Revolutions" are some of his recent works.

R.K FILM ASSOCIATES AND SPIRIT INC: Production Houses

R.K Film Associates and Spirit headed by K.Raghavendra Rao and Rana Daggubati respectively, have come together to produce " A Belly Full of Dreams" creating avenues for alternative voices in Indian Cinema. Combining the wisdom of age and experience with the reckless abandon of the emerging talents, the film brings together an eclectic mix of technicians from different walks of life.

With " A Belly Full of Dreams" they intend to explore newer possibilities and alternative markets for Indian Cinema. At the same time they are committed to good cinema - one that understands its role in society and the responsibility it carries.