Licence To Shoot?
Social activist-surgeon Dr Oscar Rebello is rightly agitated at the manner in which Goans are forced into submission at the behest of some outside elements. On Sunday, the surgeon was shoved and manhandled by bouncers hired by a Bollywood film unit who used abusive language in ordering him to hurry up and cross the road leading to his clinic merely because some filming was underway.
During the celebration of the feast of Sao Joao, local revelers on Monday at Chinvar, Anjuna, were deprived from jumping into a pond by a large number of tourists who usurped the pond and were actually mocking at locals being denied their funtime in the pond. The local panch called for police protection, but when the cops failed to arrive, he chose the next best option ~ to convince the locals to move away from the pond in an effort to avert an ugly situation.
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As if this were not enough, it is no secret that the coastal belt of north Goa boasts of Israeli and Russian ghettos where locals are not allowed.
What is Goa coming to? Have Goans reached such a pass that they cannot assert their rights? Dr Rebello has shown that enough is enough and the people have to resist these forms of oppression by moneyed neo-colonists. There have been recent instances where bouncers hired by the film industry have been ordering locals to follow their diktat, even snatching cameras, shooing them away, and blocking traditional pathways.
Strangely, though Goa scenes have been popular among filmmakers for some years now, bouncers accompanying film units were unheard of in the past. Why this need now? Foreign films ~ The Sea Wolves, featuring Roger Moore of James Bond fame, for instance ~ were shot in Goan locales without the assistance of so-called bouncers. People respected the sentiments of the director/producer, even cooperating with the shoot. It was a reciprocal arrangement where shooting was carried out in non-peak hours without disturbing the lifestyle of the local population.
This is not the case today where the culture of cooperation is taken for granted and locals are often denied from doing their own thing at their pace.
Hiring bouncers appears to be aimed at expediting the shooting process. Similarly, bouncers hired by managers of shacks/restaurants/hotels ensure that their businesses carry on uninterrupted. The objective therefore is making money. This is a paradox here because the guest who keeps the cash registers ringing is often made the victim at the hands and feet of bouncers!
Who would forget the murder of a tourist at Colva beach at the hands of bouncers? Those visiting a pub or a shack primarily do so to unwind. It is therefore not unexpected to find guests tipsy. But instead of firmly asking guests to behave themselves or even throwing them out of the premises if all efforts at persuasion fail, bouncers often resort to treating guests as punching bags, inflicting blows, knocking out teeth and even stabbing them.
During the construction boom in the decade gone by, builders hired bouncers to quell opposition from local claimants to land rights. A classic case is the instance where a top-end hotel was being built at Bambolim, where goons were hired to terrorize locals.
The time has come for Goans to assert themselves. Bouncers on the prowl are a direct assault on the Goan psyche and Goan self-respect. Shoving, pulling or pushing is tantamount to infringement on free movement. This has to be curbed. Filmmakers involved in shooting scenes in Goa must appreciate local sensiblities before planning any forays. This is a must, and the authorities need clearly to lay down conditions before granting of licence/permission to shoot.
