These are subjects that have been occasionally discussed in certain circles for sure. The subject of Konkani movies and their influence on Goan society or for that matter the role of women in that industry. The industry presently is at a standstill due to the pandemic. Shooting is not taking place and any movie that has been completed has not been released because the theatres are still shut. However these discussions do not depend on the weather or time. There are also subjects like how one can promote regional cinema like the Konkani film industry internationally.
Meenacshi Martins speaking about the role of women in the industry said in recent years, women were now taking on larger roles to play in local cinemas. She had presented a paper on the same subject at a conference that was held to discuss these subjects years ago. She said it was common to see names of women credited for acting, producing, creative direction, production design, costumes and singing. In addition there were many more women who get no credit for assisting, managing productions and costumes. Women, she said, had been known to play important roles in Konkani films since the 1950s. The tapestry of Konkani movies is tightly woven by women, their presence or the lack of it. They know about Goa’s cultural traditions or lack of it. It is how the women are presented and the characters incorporated in the storyline of the film that makes it different. She said “In the early days of Konkani cinema it was difficult to get women to act and we have had females drawn from acquaintances and neighbourhoods rather than professional actors to play key parts in Konkani movies. Some of the female actors were unwilling, untrained first timers that were rarely seen again in films, even though they had a talent for singing”. She added that it helped that these women were from the metropolitan area of Bombay, for that is where the early seeds of Konkani cinema were being germinated. She went on to say that the tasks employed by women in a film said a lot more than what was in the story. The social standing of a character was easily depicted by activity involving women. She pointed out that classics like Pather Panchali portrayed a section of life in the film as did Nirmon in the sixties in Goa or Nachumia Kumpassar now. The women in these films defined the social cultural norms of those times, including ethos, availability of work opportunities and livelihood. It also showed their lifestyles, their priorities and ethics. It was those travails that made the movies stay in our minds and our hearts till date. Films were also remembered by the actors that essayed their parts in the film. From the very first lady actor, Leena Fernandes D’ souza a telephone receptionist in then Bombay when was asked to play the lead in the film, MogachoAundo to the stars of today like Gauri Kamat who won a state award for her intense depiction of woman from a Kunbi community in Suring, Daksha Shirodkar who established herself with Haanvtu TuHaanv was earlier seen in A Rainy Day to the film Bagabeach which had various women depicting life in the tourism belt of Goa, with a mix of talent drawn from various regions amongst these were Paoli Dam, Sadiya Siddique and importantly Prashanti Talpankar. Women, she said played an important role in the industry. There were of course even producers like Dr Pramod Salgaonkar who was at the helm as a producer for the first time for a Konkani film Baga Beach. There were others too like Sharon Mazarello, Jyoti Kunkoliencar and Hema Naik.
Salil Naik, an actor, said good movies have been made since 2013 in the industry. Movies, he said, were increasingly looking at different ideas in an interesting manner and presenting them in a polished style. Earlier to that he said a lot of nonsense was made that was circulated on cd’s which turned off a lot of people. It had a very bad impact. Some good people came into the industry and Goan movies started winning national awards. Now movies were being watched in packed theatres. He hoped this virus would go away and allow the industry to start functioning again.
Bardaroy Barreto the man behind Nachom ia Kumpasar said growing up Galgibaug, he watched films. Yet the years that he did not watch films have been more deeply ingrained in his memory. Images of a church feast, maybe the gossip when women got together to make dishes for a wedding or when food was mad left an indelible mark on his memory. His move to Margao improved his access to films. After his move to Mumbai towards becoming a cameraman, editor exposed him to film festivals and a lot of screenings at NCPA experimental theatre and at the little theatre. He said he watched Art house cinema, regional cinema, alternate cinemas, foreign language films, independent cinema – different genres, different messages, different from Bollywood, even drastically different from Hollywood. He said there were only 2 kinds of films, finally the authentically crafted films which are deeply engaging, powerful and inspiring or the trying-to-be-intelligent films that are made with the intention of entering into awards, and therefore in some way forceful and unauthentic. Speaking about Nachom ia Kumpasar he said there was much more to cinema then lights, camera and action. Cinema was an important cultural tool that made sense of the society one lived in. It allowed the director to comment and reflect on the socio-political society or the world one inhabited. He said each film was distinguished by how Error! Filename not specified.each director took a story that was true to the society they belong to, understood and in some way had experienced the issue directly or indirectly, had researched and immersed themselves with the characters, had in some way been affected by it, inspired by it, or had influenced his/her life…etc etc. It was an inside-out attempt rather than an outside-in approach. They had one message, one focus and one purpose through the film. That he felt was important for a film to make a mark nationally or internationally.
The industry will grow in the years to come as technology provides producers and directors more channels to distribute their film and that will certainly benefit the industry.