By Gasper Crastot

A new Konkani feature film produced and directed by Goan singer Sharon Mazarello is set for release.

The film entitled ‘Tum Kitem Kortolo Aslo?’ (What would you have done?) has subtitles in English, and has been passed by the Indian censor board. It will be released in Goa soon.

The cast of the movie includes Sharon Mazarello, Pradip Naik, Franky Gonsalves, Wilmix, Comedy Supremo Humbert, Effie Fernandes, Roseferns, Menino de Bandar, Comedian Edisson, Fermeeno, etc.

Co-producer Wilmix stated that the movie is made for the big screen and international audiences and will not be available on DVDs.

Well-known Goan entertainers–Wilmix and Sharon–were finally granted the censor certificate for the film, but not without amendments. Having completed the shooting at the beginning of this year, this much awaited film apparently ran into some minor trouble for referring to TV stars from Ekta Kapoor’s popular saas-bahu serial in a particular scene by their TV names “Parvati” and “Tulsi”. Although no such exclusion happened in these soap operas, in spite of some extremists protesting the use of these names as they are names from Hindu mythology, the Goan film had to replace these names.

“We were shocked to find out that our film, which has absolutely nothing obscene, was stalled by the censor board for such a reason,” commented screenplay writer, director and lead artiste, Sharon Mazarello.

“It was never our intention to hurt anybody’s sentiments,” quoted Wilmix, who had just returned to Goa after making the necessary changes in the film as prescribed by the censor board.

Apparently, in this particular scene, the salesman, played by Fermeeno Goes, mentions ‘Parvati’ and ‘Tulsi’ (popular characters from Ekta Kapoor’s soap operas) in his attempt to convince customers by saying that these silver screen celebrities also use the products he sells. 

Insistently disagreeing with the stance of the censor board, assistant director Claron Mazarello felt that while the movie is thought provoking and meant to open people’s minds towards subjects they are normally very conservative about, this move by the censors was uncalled for as there was absolutely nothing derogatory within the scene.

The audio release of this movie is slated for August 15, while the premiere date is yet to be decided. “It is due somewhere around the first week of November and the film is also offered for screening at IFFI this year, besides the Konkani convention in Mangalore organised by the Mandd Shobann that will begin on November 25,” revealed Sharon.

Finally, however, it’s an all clear signal for “Tum Kitem Kortolo Aslo?”

Music for the film is credited to Balthazar Fernandes (ex-assistant to Kalyanji-Anandji) while Wilmix has penned the lyrics and set it to tune. Cinematography is attributed to Domnic Dias.

Trivia: ‘Tum Kitem Kortolo Aslo?’

The feature film is the first Konkani film to be directed by a woman and first Konkani film that is 100 per cent Goan – the producer, director, screenplay writer, cinematographer, music director, editor, choreographer, musicians, singers and actors are all Goans and the film has been entirely shot in Goa. It’s the first Konkani film to use professional choreography, also involving Goan fire-dancers. ‘Tum Kitem Kortolo Aslo?’ is also the first Konkani film to use an orchestra of 35 Goan musicians and the first Goan film with a Dolby-sound.

The Mazarellos

The husband and wife team of Wilmix-Sharon does not need much introduction to Konkani drama/tiatr followers as both, over the years, have made their presence felt among the Konkani speaking audiences.

Wilmix Wilson Mazarello traces his roots to acting in village concerts and then to professional tiatr around 1970. He has written and directed several tiatrs, one-act-plays for radio and TV and has also composed and sung numerous songs. One of his all-time famous songs is ‘Scientist’. 

Wilmix has published several Konkani tiatrs namely “Sukti-Bhorti”, “Durig”, etc, and also published a book in English entitled ‘100 Years of Konkani Tiatro’ illustrating the history of the Konkani stage.

Sharon Melancia Mazarello has been singing professionally for the last 25 years and has earned international fame for her melodious voice. She is a household name in Goa, having performed and sung on radio, television, tiatrs, musical shows and for coming out with her own audio cassettes, CDs and video films. She has also done playback singing for Konkani feature films.

Earlier in her career, Sharon has sung for leading bands in Mumbai, singing pop, rock, blues, and folk music in English, Hindi, Konkani and Portuguese.

She is an accomplished musician too, having done her music theory through the Trinity College of Music, London. She has won several awards and accolades wherever she has performed earning herself the title – ‘The Voice of Goa’.