‘Enemy?’, a Konkani film directed by Dinesh Bhosle, and
produced by A Durga Prasad won the National Film Award
for Best Feature Film in Konkani, which consists of Rajat
Kamal and Rupees 1 lakh each to the director and producer.
The film was shot entirely in Goa, with Goans forming
a major part of the ensemble cast, including actors like
Meenacshi Martin, Rajiv Hede and Salil Naik. The winners
were declared by renowned filmmaker Ramesh Sippy who
headed the 11-member jury, set up by Government of India.
“We had put in collective efforts with the team of
technicians and actors. The film which is on the issue of
Enemy Property Act is relevant not only in Goa and India
but all over the world. Even with my previous films, I have
always worked with strong issues. An award boosts one’s
career and adds to the profile. It also makes us work harder
to match up to the level that is expected by everyone,”
says Dinesh Bhosle, who entered the film for the award in
November last year.
Dinesh is presently working on three projects: A film
in Konkani which will be shot in Goa, a Marathi film that
will be shot in Maharashtra and a Hindi film in either Uttar
Pradesh or Rajasthan. His previous films include ‘Calapor’
which was based on the reformation programs of jail
mates, and ‘Marmabandh’, a Marathi film that focused on
the struggles of a theatre artiste before liberation.
The director and producer of ‘Enemy?’ had earlier
worked together on ‘Calapor’ (2013), a thriller. Producer
A Durga Prasad, who has just completed the shoot for his
next project, ‘Martin’, was ecstatic with the news about the
film winning a National Award. “This is the first time that
our production house, Prasad Productions, worked on a
Konkani film and we won the National Award! Last year,
we released ‘Calapor’, a feature film in Marathi. I believe in
team work and an award is an inspiration to put in more
hard work for better results,” says the proud producer from
his office in Milroc, Ribandar.
For Meenacshi Martin who plays the female lead in
the film, this is the second consecutive National Film
Award win for a film she has starred in; the previous one
being last year’s ‘Nachoiam Kumpasar’. “Two years now. I
have already told A Prasad that the next film should be a
hat-trick. The Enemy Property Act is an international issue
which is prevalent in several countries where the property
belonging to the nations that are at war is confiscated.
However, the award is important for Konkani especially
in the cultural sphere as the film is only showcased for
Konkani speaking people; now it will gain international
success. There have been a handful of films from Goa that
have won the National Award, the first one being ‘Nirmon’
(1966), followed by more recent films. There is a certain
standard at the national level and it shows how the films
are improving. We had years in between where films were
not awarded because they were not up to the mark,” says
Meenacshi.
Concentrating on good roles, Meenacshi is happy that
her decisions are paying off. “I read scripts for better roles
and good production houses and I don’t accept every
role that comes my way. Even one or two good films are
enough for the year,” says Meenacshi, adding, “I have
noticed that there is a certain section of audience who
prefers watching films that are being screened. There are
so many good films still running but Goans have to change
their perspective and start appreciating these films. There is
a larger audience for a tiatr than a film.”
To conclude, Dinesh is happy with the tremendous
response that the film has received. “We have four prints
currently and have completed 62 screenings. We will
increase the screenings which will be held in Mumbai and
Bangalore. We have also been invited to screen our film
abroad,” adds Dinesh.
