This is an industry that gave the
world Paltadacho Munis or The Man Beyond the
Bridge directed by Laxmikant Shetgaonkar which premiered at
2009 Toronto International Film
Festival, where it won the prize of the International Federation of
Film Critics (FIPRESCI Prize) for Discovery.[
The industry is undoubtedly one of
the smallest in the country and has struggled to stay afloat. Films made in
Konkani have been made regularly but find it difficult to recover investments.
Now with the CoronaVirus spreading
all over the country and yes Goa too, the industry is now at a standstill.
Nothing new one would say but then what are the people in the industry planning
to do to deal with these tough times.
On average, around ten to twelve
films are planned and may even commence shooting but it is around six to eight
movies that are released every year. Tapan Acharya, a popular actor whose film
debut in Aleesha in 2004 resulted in it winning the National Award for Best
Feature Film in the Regional Category was categorical when he said it was very
difficult to make recovery on investment in regional cinema. He said “It is
very difficult in Konkani cinema. Now with COVID 19 everything is up in the
air. There is no clarity as to how long everything will stay shut. People need
entertainment and are watching absolutely anything. A local cable channel had a
Konkani film festival. I have no idea if it was supported by advertising.
You have to remember with the market down, there is no advertising. Everything
is inter-related. I believe the future is OTT or Over The Top media platform,
of online movie streaming. This will help us connect with the large diaspora
which is located all over the world. That could be the future for Konkani films
which are struggling to either get the right time in a theatre or reaching out
to a large audience”.
According to estimates, in the
state of approximately fourteen lakh Goans, around a lakh watch Konkani
films. Rajesh Pednekar, Producer of K Sera Sera which
won a national award and waiting to release another movie but which is on hold
due to the virus said making a movie was not an easy task. After it was made,
releasing it and getting it shown in cinemas around the state was a battle. He
said “ I usually show my movies in cinemas in Ponda, Margao, ESG as well as Kala
academy. I can then make money, otherwise, it is difficult. We may get a grant
from the government which usually takes a year to get but if you are spending a
crore, it can be very tough to recover investments”.
In Goa, he said everything depended
on word of mouth and it was increasingly getting difficult to get investors.
OTT’s he said was a very good option that could be and should be considered by
filmmakers in the future. This was an option being considered seriously by
Severino who had a film called Planning Devachem. He said “There is
no other way now to make any money from the movie I have. No private shows, no
theatres, nothing. These platforms are the only hope for Konkani cinema”.
Madhav Gad producer of Home Sweet
Home 1 and 2 said in these times one could get away by making small movies in
the budget of Rs. 10 lakhs to 20 lakhs but anything touching a crore was just
gambling.
He said “It all depends on the
technology one is interested in using meaning the camera. Everything else flows
from there. Once the movie is made getting the right time slot is very
difficult. We want the 6.30 or 7.30 slot and we end up being given the 3.30 or
12.30 slot which means no one comes. OTT platforms are something we have to
look and this virus has made things even worse for us. Nothing is moving. We
have to look at options to survive”.
Perhaps the virus has shown a way
to the industry to reach a larger audience. But for now. It’s a long interval.