O Maria
Encyclopedia
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.
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 (tiatr
ist 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. Ruzar (tiatrist John D'Silva) plays the sacristan who gets the villages together.
Not only did the film become the first Konkani film to cross the 50-day and 100-day barriers, but it also completed 25 weeks at the Inox multiplex at Panjim on 3 June 2011.
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 it's 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.
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.
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 :
The music of the movie has become very popular and has been critically acclaimed.
Konkani language
KonkaniKonkani is a name given to a group of several cognate dialects spoken along the narrow strip of land called Konkan, on the west coast of India. This is, however, somewhat an over-generalisation. Geographically, Konkan is defined roughly as the area between the river Damanganga to the north...
film released in 2010 in Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It is the fourth film by Rajendra Talak after the National Award winning Aleesha
Aleesha
-Cast and crew:Cast: Priyanka Bidye, Tapan Acharya, Dr. Vijay Thali, Prashanti Talpankar, Rajeev Hede, Dr. Ajay Vaidya, Anil Raikar, Keshav Nadkarni, Neema KamatGuest appearance: Prince Jacob, LornaDirector: Rajendra Talak...
in 2004, Antarnad in 2006 and Sawariya.com in 2008.
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
Shernaz Patel
Shernaz Patel is an Indian film and theatre actor, who works in Hindi and English films, most known for her roles in films like Black and Guzaarish and English language theatre in Mumbai. She made her theatre debut with The Diary Of Anne Frank in 1984...
) 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
Tiku Talsania
Tiku Talsania is an Indian actor who has acted in supporting roles in more than 100 films and in TV Serials.-Television:*Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi*Zamana Badal Gaya .... Kanhaiya Lal Mathur*Ek Se Badhkar Ek .... Brijbhushan...
). For this he needs Maria’s approval because her brother John (tiatr
Tiatr
Tiatr is a type of musical popular in the state of Goa on the west coast of India where they originated as well as in Mumbai and with expatriate communities in the Middle East. The dramas are performed in the Konkani language and include music, dancing and singing...
ist 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. 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.Not only did the film become the first Konkani film to cross the 50-day and 100-day barriers, but it also completed 25 weeks at the Inox multiplex at Panjim on 3 June 2011.
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 it's 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.
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 FernandesRemo Fernandes
Luís Remo de Maria Bernardo Fernandes, more popularly known as Remo Fernandes is a pop/rock/Indian fusion artist and playback singer from the state of Goa, India. His musical work is a fusion of many different cultures and styles he's been exposed to as a child in Goa and in his later travels...
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 :
- Laranchim Cantaram: Sung by Remo Fernandes
- Surganchim Fati: Sung by Remo Fernandes and Queenie Fernandes
- Adeus Mai: Voices by Chriselle Mendonsa and Shine Fernandes
- Maka Naka Tuka Naka: Sung by Remo Fernandes
The music of the movie has become very popular and has been critically acclaimed.