Mainstream cinema in Goa seems to have come of age, with
several films being released in quick succession. ‘Nachom-ia Kumpasar’, ‘MMS’
and the latest ‘Nirmon’ are points in case. Yet alongside there are a slew of
documentaries that are making an equal impact and have grabbed national
attention as well. The well received ‘Amche Cantar’ and ‘Water’, ‘An old dog’s
diary’ can be counted among these. While Goa is proving itself on both fronts,
one cannot help but notice that while more men – be it Laxmikant Shetgaonkar,
Rajendra Talak or Dnyanesh Moghe – have capitalised on the commercial fiction
market, women apparently have chosen to make their mark in documentaries.
“I feel documentaries are important when it comes to certain
issues, which can be best explored in this genre,” explains documentary
filmmaker Nalini E De Souza, whose documentary on water harvesting ‘Rivers’ as
well as ‘Water’ have been conferred the Vashuda Awards at IFFI 2009 and 2010
respectively. “Certain topics have to be shown through documentaries. Since
they address real issues and real people, it is likely to make a bigger impact
and elicit a reaction as opposed to fiction films where one just enjoys it for
an evening,” reiterates Nalini who is now documenting the lives of freedom
fighters of Goa who fought in Africa.
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While freelance feature film editor, Bombay-based Ruth Lobo
agrees in part with this perspective, she also points out that the lines
between documentaries and mainstream cinema are slowly blurring. “There are
many issues that can be addressed in both fiction as well as documentaries and
which many filmmakers are capitalising on. It all depends on the story and what
it demands.”
Her grouse however is directed at the blatant sexism in the
industry, especially in the fiction segment. “The industry is so sexist. There
is a lot of chauvinism to deal with. Very few women are actually respected and
taken seriously,” she states. Documentaries, on the other hand, she observes,
allows a woman more leeway. “Since documentaries involve smaller teams, there
is more give and take. It’s not purely technical. Whereas in feature films,
it’s more watertight, with everyone’s designation and work very clearly chalked
out,” she explains.
At the other end of the spectrum, as Nalini points out,
documentaries demand a lot of commitment and effort, which, given the cultural
setup in Goa, women find it difficult to cope with. “I was not born here so I
have a different perspective on the work it entails,” she avers.
The challenge of finances is another dare for these lady
filmmakers who have managed to face the tide and emerge winners. “Not only does
one have to put in a lot of time and effort for documentaries, but it is also
not easy to get financial support for such films and the returns on them are
not much either,” points out Nalini, who nevertheless perseveres as she
reiterates: “Certain topics have to be shown in documentaries to elicit the
right response and reaction and make a change!”
