Properties and
our preoccupation with property matters is likely fodder for any movie. Yet, Producer A Durga Prasad in his first
Konkani film ‘Enemy?’ chose to take this very topical subject and give it a new
twist. “Not many people are aware of the Enemy Property Act of 1965 where many
people have lost their property to the government. ‘Enemy?’ highlights this issue which has
affected many Goans. The question we address is how a person can be his own
enemy in his own country,” explains Durga Prasad.
Elaborating on
the choice of the subject which he chose to write about, Director/scriptwriter
Dinesh P Bhonsle points out that enemy property constitutes a major problem in
Goa and India. “We have taken up a very relevant issue which has affected many
Goans staying in Goa, India and abroad. Many people are not aware of this act.
We initially we had to do a lot of research on the subject. We met with
government officials and families who have suffered loss of property on account
of this act. While some of these families are in Goa, several are out of Goa and
India,” he elaborates.
The story
revolves around a Catholic family which returns to Goa at Christmas time, only
to find that they have lost their property to the government. It not only
highlights their struggle to re-possess their property, but the mother’s
struggle to uphold the family’s honour while her son, a captain in the army,
has to fight a different battle.
Shot entirely
in Goa, with a Goans forming a major part of the cast ensemble, 99% are new
Goan artistes, with stellar veterans like Meenacshi Martin playing the lead
alongside Rajiv Hede and Salil Naik. “We have portrayed the customs and rich
culture of Goa in a very good light, unlike the trend followed by Bollywood. We
have also done justice to shoots at some of Goa’s most famous churches at
Pilar, Old Goa and Curca,” says Durga Prasad while pointing out that even the
technical team, albeit based in Mumbai are all Goans. “The dialogues have been
written by famed Goan author, Damodar Mauzo while the lyrics have been written
by Fr Ubaldo Fernandes and Fr Vasco Rego. We have been blessed with a very
talented team. Even the musical score, written by Schubert Cota took intense
research from him and he has done a marvelous job along with his wife, Maxi who
has sung all the songs for the film. Two young singers, who have probably sung
in Konkani for the very first time, Myron Mascarenhas and Jesus Gomes have done
a commendable job as well,” says Durga Prasad heartily complimenting his
team.
Since the film
is centered around the festive period of Christmas in Goa, making it posed a
lot of challenges. “It was tough to make the film. Since the story commences
around December 20 and goes on to January 5, we had to maintain the Christmas
atmosphere throughout, though the film was shot in February. So everything had
to be set up accordingly. Auditions took around five months, until we could get
the right actor for each character’s role. Also, for the crowd scenes we needed
only Goans, so sourcing this was a bit difficult, but I must thank the people
of Agassaim, where most of the film was shot, for their immense help and for
voluntarily participating in the film, especially for the crowd scenes,”
acknowledges Bhonsle.
Having spent
the last 30 years in Goa, a place he loves to call home, the choice of a Konkani
film but was but a natural transition for this producer; but his main focus
remains in carrying a message which will benefit the community and society at
large. He has done this with much success in ‘Calapor’, which highlights the
need for social reforms in prisons and now in ‘Enemy?’ which highlights the
Enemy Property Act. However, the
producer is upset at the government’s ineptitude in allotting regional films
prime time at theatres. “We are charged heavily if we want to screen our films
at prime time at Inox. Hence, we are forced to screen our films at small
theatres. It would be nice if the government took up this matter seriously, as
only then can regional cinema be promoted,” he asserts.
Tackling the
Enemy within promises to be a riveting story.
