‘Juze’ cast and crew ask for more govt support to Konkani cinema

Canacona: During a discussion on the last day of the ‘Prashanti film fest’ at Loliem, Canacona, Konkani actors said that Goa govt needs to do more for the growth of Konkani cinema. They said that despite Konkani films and actors getting recognition and winning accolades on national and international forums, govt has to step up with more support.

This concern was flagged during a discussion held post the screening of the internationally-acclaimed Konkani film ‘Juze’.

The film’s lead actor, Sudesh Bhise, called for a govt policy to promote Konkani cinema, similar to the support provided to Marathi cinema in Maharashtra. He suggested measures like prioritising tax-free screenings in all cinema halls across the state. Sidhesh Naik, editor of ‘Juze’, noted that commercial cinema theatres like INOX insist on screenings on a 70:30 revenue-sharing basis, which is unaffordable in a small state like Goa. He added that the state lacks a wealthy, cinema-loving community that is willing to invest in Konkani films.

International award winner Prashanti Talpankar, who received a state award for her performance in the film, described govt’s film finance scheme as problematic. She stated that although the decade-long backlog of 30 films was cleared last year, it was stalled due to what she termed as flawed jury decisions regarding the three-tier finance policy.

‘Juze’, which set a record by winning 14 awards at the Goa state film festival, received only Rs 10 lakh in financial assistance under the C category. Following protests by director Miransha Naik in September last year, the entertainment society of Goa (ESG) assured a re-evaluation of the films. However, no action has been taken in the past eight months.