O Maria

Last updated

O Maria
Poster of the film O Maria.jpg
Poster of the film
Directed by Rajendra Talak
Screenplay byRajendra Talak
Pratima Kulkarni
Produced byM.B Creations
Starring Shernaz Patel
Meenacshi Martins
Cory Goldberg
Cinematography Sunny Joseph
Music by Remo Fernandes
Release dates
  • 19 December 2010 (2010-12-19)(Goa)

(Premiered at IFFI 2010)
Running time
110 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageKonkani

O Maria is a Konkani language film released in 2010 in Goa, India. It is the fourth film by Rajendra Talak after the National Award winning Aleesha in 2004, Antarnad in 2006 and Sawariya.com in 2008.

Contents

Plot

Maria is a single woman of forty plus, living alone with her mother, running a quiet business of putting up tourists in her house by the sea and a small restaurant. She has the good fortune of owning a land and a house in a prime spot by the sea which is eyed by developers.

The subject of sale of land in Goa and the outsider/insider issue has been plaguing the state for sometime and O Maria revolves around the same subject. In 2009 another Konkani film Zagor was also made on the same lines.

Maria (Shernaz Patel) is a middle aged single woman who lives with her ailing mother (Sulbha Arya) and has foreign tourists as paying guests at her beachside home while she also runs a small restaurant. While one of her brother's sons Kevin (Kevin D'Mello) looks upon her as a mother, the other Jack (Aryan Khedekar) teams up with his mother, Philomena (Meenacshi Martins) to sell their ancestral property which is at a prime location to a Gujarati property developer Jiten Shah 'Jitubhai' (Tiku Talsania). For this he needs Maria’s approval because her brother John (tiatrist Roseferns) has already signed an agreement to this effect.

Mike (Cory Goldberg), an American staying as a guest with Maria, also gets dragged into the issue. Cory Goldberg had earlier played the role of a tourist in the Incredible India ad campaign. [1] Ruzar (tiatrist John D'Silva) plays the sacristan who gets the villages together.

Reception

The director was praised for his mature handling of the theme and for his realistic portrayal of Goans involved in the tourism industry and also his depiction of the way of life of Goan Christians. [2]

Not only did the film become the first Konkani film to cross the 50-day and 100-day barriers, [3] [4] but it also completed 25 weeks at the Inox multiplex at Panjim on 3 June 2011. [5]

However, there has been criticism that the plot was over simplified and the significant role of corrupt Goan politicians in such land deals was not shown. Music director, Remo Fernandes, disappointed that the song 'Maka Naka Tuka Naka' against corruption was dropped from the movie for unknown reasons after its video was filmed, said that since the CD was released by the Chief Minister and the Chief Minister was thanked in the very first frame, the director probably found his hands tied up. [6]

The choice of Shernaz Patel for the lead role was also commented upon as being a non-Goan, her pronunciations of Konkani were not up to the mark, even though her acting efforts were appreciated.

Music

Remo Fernandes has played every instrument on these tracks, sung all the male voices, and played the role of recording and pre-mixing engineer. The lyrics are by Saish Poi Palondikar.

Four tracks were released by M. B. Creations and music label Rock and Raaga: [6] [7]

The music of the movie has become very popular and has been critically acclaimed.

Related Research Articles

Music of Goa Music

Music of Goa refers to music from the state of Goa, on the west coast of India. A wide variety of music genres are used in Goa ranging from Western art music to Indian classical music. Konkani music is also popular across this tiny state. Being a former territory of Portugal, Goa has a dominant western musical scene with the use of instrument such as the violin, drums, guitar, trumpet and piano. It has also produced a number of prominent musicians and singers for the world of Indian music. Portuguese Fado also has significance in Goa.

Goan Catholics are an ethno-religious community of Indian Christians following the Latin Rite of worship from the Goa state, in the southern part of the Konkan region along India's west coast. They are mostly Konkani people and speak the Konkani language.

Remo Fernandes Goan musician

Luís Remo de Maria Bernardo Fernandes is a singer and musician from India with naturalized Portuguese citizenship. Known as a pioneer of Indian pop music, he performs pop/rock/Indian fusion and is also a film playback singer. His musical work is a fusion of many different cultures and styles that he has been exposed to as a child in Goa and in his later travels around the world. Such influences include Goan and Portuguese music, Sega music, African music, Latin music, the music of erstwhile European communist states, those of the dance halls from Jamaica and Soca.

Mando (music)

Mando or Manddo is a musical form that evolved during the 19th and 20th centuries among the Goan Catholics. It represents a meeting point of local Goan and western musical traditions.

Lorna Cordeiro Indian Konkani singer

Lorna Cordeiro, aka Lorna, is a Konkani language singer from the coastal state of Goa, India, and is popularly known as the "Nightingale of Goa".

Tiatr is a type of musical theatre popular in the state of Goa on the west coast of India as well as in Mumbai and with expatriate communities in the Middle East, London and other cities where Konkani speakers have a considerable presence. The dramas are performed mainly in the Roman Konkani dialects and include music, dancing and singing. Tiatr performers are called tiatrists.

Konkani in the Roman script, commonly known as Romi Konkani or Romi Konknni refers to the writing of the Konkani language in the Roman script. While Konkani is written in five different scripts altogether, Romi Konkani is widely used. Romi Konkani is known to be the oldest preserved and protected literary tradition beginning from the 16th century AD.

Konkani cinema is an Indian film industry, where films are made in the Konkani language, which is spoken mainly in the Indian states of Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka and to a smaller extent in Kerala. Konkani films have been produced in Goa, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Kerala.

Chris Perry (musician) Indian musician

Chris Perry, was an Indian musician, composer, songwriter, and film producer who combined jazz with Konkani music. He was known in India as the 'King of Cha Cha Cha' and the 'Man with the Golden Trumpet', and was the composer of the iconic signature song of All India Radio.

Rosario Alfred Fernandes, better known by his stage name Alfred Rose, was a Goan tiatrist. He was one of the most popular singers and composers of Konkani songs, and is routinely broadcast on the Panaji or Panjim station of All India Radio (Akashvani). He is believed to have sung or composed, or both, around 5000 Konkani songs during his career.

Bhuierantlo Munis is a 1977 Indian Konkani-language drama film. The first colour film in Konkani, it was produced under the banner of Chripton Motion Pictures by Tony Coutinho and Chris Perry and released in 1977. The film was shot in Goa, and also has footage shot in Paris, America and an ice-skating competition in Russia.

Old Goan Gold is a music album by Remo Fernandes and released in 1985. It consists of songs in Konkani and Portuguese. Alisha Chinai has also performed in the album.

Goa State in western India

Goa is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the east and south, with the Arabian Sea forming its western coast. It is India's smallest state by area and its fourth-smallest by population. Goa has the highest GDP per capita among all Indian states, two and a half times as high as the GDP per capita of the country as a whole. The Eleventh Finance Commission of India named Goa the best-placed state because of its infrastructure, and India's National Commission on Population rated it as having the best quality of life in India. It is the third-highest ranking among Indian states in the human development index.

John D'Silva is an Indian Konkani actor and stage actor. He is a tiatrist, i.e. a practitioner of a type of Goan musical theatre called tiatr.

<i>Enemy</i> (2015 film) 2015 film by Dinesh P. Bhonsle

Enemy? is a 2015 Indian mystery film produced by A. Durga Prasad and directed by Dinesh P. Bhonsle who has previously directed Hindi-movie Calapor. The music was composed by Schubert Cotta. The film won the Best Konkani film Award in 63rd National Film Awards, Vigyan Bhawan New Delhi. It has also won the "GOLDEN CAMERA TROPHY AWARD" at 8th Nashik International Film Festival and was officially selected to be screen at the 21st Kolkata International Film Festival 2015, Goa Marathi Film Festival 2016 and London Indian Film Festival 2016. Enemy was selected for the Indiwood Panorama Competition section at the 2nd edition of Indiwood Carnival 2016 in Hyderabad.

Atanasio Monserrate, also known as “Babush”, is an Indian politician from the state of Goa. Monserrate is a three term member of the Goa Legislative Assembly. He is a member of the Goa Legislative Assembly from Panaji. He was the Member of Legislative Assembly for Taleigao. He is married to Jennifer Monserrate, Member of Legislative Assembly, Taleigao.

Fr. Vasco do Rego SJ was a Jesuit priest from the region of Goa, who played a significant role in the promotion of Konkani language, literature and music, particularly after the Annexation of Goa. He was the editor of the religious monthly Dor Mhoineachi Rotti for many years.

The Tiatr Academy of Goa is a government body established by the Government of Goa in 2009 during the tenure of Digambar Kamat as the Chief Minister of Goa. The Academy was inaugurated on 16 January 2009 in Margao at the hands of the tiatr artist Master Jose Francisco Vaz The Academy's aim is to foster and develop Tiatr and its dances, music, songs and literature; especially the Konkani Literature in Roman script as well as through them the cultural unity of Goa as well as India.

John Aguiar Konkani poet

John Aguiar is a Konkani poet, writer, media person and lyricist whose songs have been broadcast over the All India Radio network specially in Goa and on CDs.

<i>Kantaar</i> 2019 Indian film in Konkani

Kantaar (transl. Song) is a 2019 Indian Konkani-language film written and directed by Nilesh Malkar and produced by Janet Noronha. It stars Jackie Shroff, Noel Sean and Ester Noronha. The film is about life in Goa, and finding purpose in life. After the award-winning Soul Curry, it is Malkar and Jackie's second Konkani film. The musical film features Lorna singing some jazz songs. It premiered at Ravindra Bhavan, Margao, on 28 January 2019.

References

  1. Video on YouTube
  2. "Well done Maria | iGoa". www.navhindtimes.in. Archived from the original on 23 December 2010.
  3. "OMaria's-50-days:O Maria is the first Konkani film tocomplete 50 days at two". timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
  4. "Archived copy". articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Archived from the original on 16 June 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. Joegoauk (5 June 2011). "JoeGoaUk - GOA: Konkani Film O MARIA completes 25 weeks (Silver Jubilee)".
  6. 1 2 "Log In or Sign Up to View". www.facebook.com.
  7. "Music launch of 'O Maria' | iGoa". www.navhindtimes.in. Archived from the original on 23 December 2010.