Rhythm is gonna get you

Oscar Rebelo
This is it, phew! You could knock me down with a feather as I trot out after viewing ‘Nachom-ia Kumpasar’ (Let’s dance to the rhythm), a new-age Konkani film that pushes the envelope in a hitherto unseen energetic, effervescent and electric manner.
The movie tells you about the life trajectory of Goa’s most priceless musical treasure ‘Lawrence Vaz’ (aka Chris Perry?) and his hauntingly glorious muse ‘Donna’ (aka Lorna?).Their music, their passion, their quirks, their human failings, their unrequited love, their giddy triumph, their tragic decay and then her magnificent resurrection. It all unfolds like a dream.
Much like ‘Mamma Mia’ wove the Abba soundtrack into its storyline with such panache, ‘Nachoi-am Kumpasar’ weaves some of Konkani’s most enduring and endearing anthems into the narrative effortlessly. The absolutely rollicking and foot-tapping musical arrangement of Ronnie Monserrate, coupled with the high octane, virtuoso rendition of the songs by Cielda Pereira, is a complete knockout. The music will simply soak into your system and will not let go as it hasn’t all these decades since Chris Perry first composed them.
The performance by Palomi Ghosh (a Bengali lass who looks even more Goan) who plays Donna is the absolute trump card of this film. Vulnerable yet immensely gifted, hers is a love affair with life itself. This is a touching, no frills required, powerful portrayal of the prima donna’s life.
The rest of the stellar cast including Vijay Maurya (Lawrence Vaz), the incredibly funny John D’Silva, the ever dependable Prince (he’s looking older now, so he should change it to King) Jacob, the intense and achingly poignant Meenaxi Martins and even a fellow AAP traveller Rashid Sousa pack a punch, a real forceful punch as well.
From the outstanding cinematography to the sound design; from the gorgeous locales to the picture-perfect period setting; from the witty dialogues to the resplendent choreography, this is pure magic unfolding on screen. A once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Of course, it has its flaws. The pacing slackens a trifle in the middle, the editing is clearly over indulgent (a good 15 minutes of fat could have been knocked off the film to make it more trim) and it trips at times into familiar tiatr terrain. These are small, near invisible pimples however on an otherwise flawless and alluring complexion.
But what struck me most about this tour-de-force was the self-belief and near insane passion, conviction and chutzpah of team Bardroy Barretto, the filmmaker.
To actually conquer this fear and trepidation and make a global film of this standard and quality is what the Goan dream is all about and has always been for ages, often however unsung.
Also, what is it with the deep-south Canacona that it throws up such prodigious talent, the other noteworthy example being Laxmikant Shetgaonkar, that other genius of Goan cinema.
So now, it is we the people of Goa and Konkani lovers across India who need to stand up and be counted, because for me this is the Konkani Magnum Opus of our generation.
We need to back this product, unreservedly and plug it shamelessly, not just because it is Goan but because it is so smashingly good.
We need to continue to search within ourselves, how to nurture, preserve and celebrate little slices of Goa we call our own and are forever in danger of being obliterated and crushed by the onslaught of globalization.
For me, you guys rock team Bardroy Barretto. You rock big time. And so does our beloved Goa, I guess, even if it appears she is presently on her deathbed, cachectic, confused and joyless, in a terminal drunken stupor.
Like Donna (Lorna) however I believe she will someday resurrect in glorious triumph. The question is, to ensure this happens will we play our roles well?
The writer is a physician. Views expressed are personal.