Will move Centre Board of Film Certification seeking censorship of dialogues and scenes depicting Goa in negative light
PANJIM: Just when Goa is making efforts to build up its image as an international tourism and investment destination, Bollywood again steps in to prolong the myth that the coastal State is a place for “drugs, crime and prostitution”.
The latest such offering from the film industry is the upcoming crime thriller ‘Missing On A Weekend’ that shows girls in the State being available for prostitution. “Goa mein ladkiyon ke bhav main tolmol hota hai, mukhtaar ke maal mein nahi,” (In Goa you can bargain for rates for girls),” is one sentence in the dialogue that has irked the government. The movie set to release on Friday, after a week’s delay, focuses on the surge in crime in the tourist hub.
The Tourism Department has decided to move the Centre Board of Film Certification (CBFC) seeking censorship of the dialogues and scenes depicting Goa in a negative light. “How can they (filmmaker) make such a comment about Goa? We will write to the Censor Board to ensure that Goa’s image as a whole is not spoilt. Whether dialogues or any scene, the movie makers should have consulted the government,” Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar told Herald reacting to the raging controversy.
The minister said they would not hesitate to move the court seeking a ban on
the use of defamatory remarks or scenes in the movie, in the interest of the State. “More than tourism in Goa, the movie will affect the overall branding of the State,” he said.
Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) has seconded Parulekar’s opinion with President Savio Messias condemning the ‘factually incorrect’ reports about Goa. “It is totally untrue. Crackdown on prostitution rackets show that a majority of them trafficked from other states. Moreover, I have a feeling that crime has reduced though there could be rare cases of dacoity, etc,” he said.
Another senior TTAG official stated they would give a befitting reply to all those attempting to malign the State’s image. “We support the State government in any decision it takes to ensure Goa’s identity is not at stake. We will not tolerate wrong information disseminating about the tourism State,” he said.
Interestingly, CBFC’s examining committee has already sought removal of the word ‘Goa’ from the film. It is learnt that the film’s team is likely to approach the court over several cuts directed by the Censor Board.
Goa has become a soft target for filmmakers who do not hesitate to portray the State negatively. Be it Dum Maro Dum, the recently released controversial movie Udta Punjab, or the comedy show on Sab TV ‘Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah’ that spoke on the availability of narcotics in Goa.
Herald Goa News
PANJIM: Just when Goa is making efforts to build up its image as an international tourism and investment destination, Bollywood again steps in to prolong the myth that the coastal State is a place for “drugs, crime and prostitution”.
The latest such offering from the film industry is the upcoming crime thriller ‘Missing On A Weekend’ that shows girls in the State being available for prostitution. “Goa mein ladkiyon ke bhav main tolmol hota hai, mukhtaar ke maal mein nahi,” (In Goa you can bargain for rates for girls),” is one sentence in the dialogue that has irked the government. The movie set to release on Friday, after a week’s delay, focuses on the surge in crime in the tourist hub.
The Tourism Department has decided to move the Centre Board of Film Certification (CBFC) seeking censorship of the dialogues and scenes depicting Goa in a negative light. “How can they (filmmaker) make such a comment about Goa? We will write to the Censor Board to ensure that Goa’s image as a whole is not spoilt. Whether dialogues or any scene, the movie makers should have consulted the government,” Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar told Herald reacting to the raging controversy.
The minister said they would not hesitate to move the court seeking a ban on
the use of defamatory remarks or scenes in the movie, in the interest of the State. “More than tourism in Goa, the movie will affect the overall branding of the State,” he said.
Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) has seconded Parulekar’s opinion with President Savio Messias condemning the ‘factually incorrect’ reports about Goa. “It is totally untrue. Crackdown on prostitution rackets show that a majority of them trafficked from other states. Moreover, I have a feeling that crime has reduced though there could be rare cases of dacoity, etc,” he said.
Another senior TTAG official stated they would give a befitting reply to all those attempting to malign the State’s image. “We support the State government in any decision it takes to ensure Goa’s identity is not at stake. We will not tolerate wrong information disseminating about the tourism State,” he said.
Interestingly, CBFC’s examining committee has already sought removal of the word ‘Goa’ from the film. It is learnt that the film’s team is likely to approach the court over several cuts directed by the Censor Board.
Goa has become a soft target for filmmakers who do not hesitate to portray the State negatively. Be it Dum Maro Dum, the recently released controversial movie Udta Punjab, or the comedy show on Sab TV ‘Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah’ that spoke on the availability of narcotics in Goa.
Herald Goa News
The film will not hurt the image of Goa but the actual facts do, which are the following…there are too many unexplained uninvestigated cases of deaths amongst tourists of all nationalities in Goa….year after year. The authorities in Goa do to see them important enough to solve or investigate and hope that by covering them up as natural/accidental deaths they will disappear. With social networking and freedom of speech on the internet they will not just disappear as before. The rest of the civilised world do demand justice for these crimes the government of Goa is trying to cover up. This film is seems to be based in facts and that is the reason for the Centre Board of Film Certification seeking censorship of dialogues and scenes depicting Goa in negative light….more like in a truthful light.
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