The Myth About Goan Stereotypes in Bollywood
(Published in The Navhind Times on 10th Oct. 2014)
To continue with the issue of Goan stereotypes in Bollywood
films, which came up again with the release of Finding Fanny (you can
read the previous article here,
here are some more thoughts on it. Let me argue, in effect, that the myth of
the Goan stereotype flows not so much from the sins of Bollywood, as from a
fiction that persists because it is so much easier to lay the blame on Bombay.
Caricatures and stock characters feature in cinema, TV and
the stage, not just in India but beyond as well. True, they tend to stand out
in Bollywood because Hindi films are a source of relatively unsophisticated
entertainment. But when a serious film maker takes up a potentially contentious
socio-cultural subject, they can do an admirable job with the same material. In
the context of Goa, a case in point would be Shyam Benegal’s films: there is
little fault you can find with either Bhumika or Trikaal.
There is no need for me to elaborate on the uniqueness of
Goa. It has been a favorite holiday destination for decades and its popularity
continues to grow, both among tourists and as a film destination. Over the
years, more than 125 films have been shot here and, among this year’s releases
alone, there’s Singham 2, Kick, Hate Story 2, Yaariyan, Lekar Hum Deewana Dil, Ek Villain (in which Remo plays a don), 3 a.m, Youngistaan, Jackpot, Finding Fanny,
all of which were shot in Goa, and 2014 is not over yet.
So clearly, Goa remains the Number One state for film makers
and they all have a soft corner and love for the place, or else why would they
be here? It’s unlikely they come in
droves to Goa and squander millions of rupees only in order to mock and
misrepresent local characters.
Now, if a Bollywood film maker wants Christian characters in
her film, she largely has two options on where to set it: Bandra or Goa. The general perception is that Goa is a
Christian majority state, which it once was though this is no longer factually
correct. This misconception may still remain because the decline in Christian
population has been gradual over the years without any upheaval in society
compared to, say, the changing demographic realities of Kashmir. Once upon a
time, plenty of romantic films were shot in Kashmir Valley but, after terrorism
took centre-stage, most films set in the Vale have been about conflict (Shaurya,
Yahaan, Tahaan, Lamhaa, Mission Kashmir, Sikander, Lakshya and recently
Haider). Amusingly and somewhat tragically, Yeh Jawaani Hain Deewani
was shot in Kashmir but its scenic beauty was passed off as Manali.
But in Goa, the transition to a non-Christian demographic
has been so smooth that, outside the state, not many have noticed it.
If you take the portrayal of the Christian community as a
whole in Hindi cinema, then for every vamp played by Helen (Helen Richardson;
of Anglo-Burmese origin, I hasten to add) and others, there have been memorably
sweet and noble Christian characters as well - John Chacha who takes two little
children under his wings in Boot Polish (1954); Lalita Pawar, better
known for her evil roles, played a motherly Mrs. D’Sa to Raj Kapoor in Anari
(1959); and if anyone says Nancy and Tony in the same breath, then Amol Palekar
and Tina Munim from Baton Baton Mein (1979) spring to mind.
But let’s look specifically at the Goa angle, and the common
accusation that Goans are portrayed as drunkards.
Just a quick mise-en-scène before we get to the
point. The cultural fascination with drinking, and the lyrical and metaphorical
elements of intoxication, are as old in this part of the world as this part of
the world itself. From the Persian poet Omar Khayyam, to Mir, Mirza Ghalib and
Harivansh Rai Bachchan’s Madhushala, to contemporary poets like Bashir
Badr, much philosophizing has emerged from, and about, the Cup that “clears Today of past Regrets and future Fears”. It is no surprise that Hindi films
have romanticized drinking in tragedy, comedy and in song, sometimes as an act
of despair or rebellion, often as a metaphor, occasionally with a touch of
astuteness to the lyrics, like Zindagi Khwaab hain Khwaab mein (picturized
on Motilal playing the almost perfect screen drunk in Jagte Raho, 1956).
There have been songs on characters that are contemplating
drink, drunk, or in the process of getting there. From vintage hits like HuiSham Unka Khayal Agaya (Mere Hum Dum Mere Dost), Jo unki tamanna hai
(Inteqam) to Bachchan’s Thodi si jo pe lee hain (Namak Halaal), and
songs from Shaarabi to Nana Patekar and Raj Kumar going overboard
in Tiraanga (Pe lee pe lee) to Ganpat chal daaru la, the list of
drinking songs in Hindi cinema is endless.
How many have been damaging to Goa and Goans, I wonder.
I can think of one: Pran frolicking in a bar in Majboor,
singing “phir na kehna Michael daru peeke danga karta hai”. No other
song has given the impression that Goans are drunkards as this Laxmikant
Pyarelal composition may have, but this really is an exception.
Keshto Mukherjee was the quintessential drunkard of Hindi
films. He played a comic alcoholic in over 100 films and, barring Chupke Chupke
(where he played a character named James), he never portrayed a drunken Goan.
Another important stereotype to consider would be women who
are shown drinking alcohol in Hindi films. For a society that is otherwise so
traditional, inebriated women have been singing on screen for ages. Who can forget Meena Kumari’s Na JaoSaiyyan (Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam), Waheeda Rehman’s Rangeela re (Prem
Pujari), to contemporary girls going Talli and the brilliant revival of Maine hothon se lagaye to (originally from Anhonee, made popular by Queen). There have been female tipplers like Helen’s
Monica in Caravan, but how many sloshed women characters can you recall from a
film set in Goa? I couldn’t think of a single one.
Even Helen’s Kitty Kelly in Gumnaam (the famous Gum chodke manao rang reli was shot on Vagator beach) says “Mujhe Shaarabi
pasand hain sharaab nahin.”
Beyond Hindi film tropes, one could argue that Goa’s
association with alcohol comes from the simple fact that, for a population of
14 lakhs, the state has close to 9000 bar licenses. Compare this with a city
like Bangalore: Goa has a fraction (15%) of Bangalore’s population of 96 lakhs,
but almost four times the number of bars (Bangalore has 2500). So there is one
bar per 155 persons in Goa compared to one bar per 4000 people in Bangalore.
Bollywood didn’t make that up.
The fact is Hindi cinema is also changing for the better,
and even middle-brow films have a mature understanding of the world they did
not possess in the days our youth. There have been none of these imagined ‘Goan
stereotypes’ in Hindi films these last couple of decades, though many films
were shot in Goa during this time. Even before that, there isn’t a great deal
of evidence to suggest otherwise.
Here are some of the films set in Goa over the years – it would be a challenge to find the typecasts
in it – Jaal (1952, dir. Guru Dutt), Saat Hindustani (1969, Dir. K.A. Abbas and
Amitabh Bachchan’s first film which incidentally was about the liberation of
Goa), Bhumika (1977, Dir Shyam Benegal, based on Hansa Wadkars story), Ek Duje
ke Liye (1981, Dir. K Balachander one of the earliest films that showed the
landmark places and popularized them all over the country), Trikaal (1985, Dir.
Shyam Benegal, Mario Cabral E Sa was a script-consultant ), Kabhi Haan Kabhi
Naa (1994, Dir. Kundan Shah) Khamoshi
(1996, Dir. Sanjay Leela Bhansali), Honeymoon Travels (2007,Dir. Reema Kagti), Dil Chahata Hain (2001, Dir. Farhan Akhtar,
only a small segment was set and shot in Goa but since then, every tourist
wants to visit Vagator fort), My Brother Nikhil (2005, Dir Onir, based on the
life of Dominic D’Souza, Goa’s first HIV patient), Guzaarish ( 2010, Dir Sanjay
Leela Bhansali, Hrithik played a quadriplegic named Ethan Mascarenhas), Singham (2011, Dir. Rohit Shetty who has shot
almost all his films in Goa).
Where are the stereotypes?
First published in The Navhind Times on 10th Oct 2014
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