The Konkani film industry has something to cheer about. A movie, a love story was released on Monday in Panjim. This is news which has to be celebrated without a doubt. The film ‘Tu Na Tor’ was screened at the Entertainment Society of Goa in Panjim and features young and promising stars of the industry. It’s a love story that revolves around the life and aspirations of a Goan taxi driver. It features Kevin D’Mello, Jennifer Fernando, Humbert, Aplon and Alexin de Morjim.
The director of the movie, Joywin Fernandes said it was a love story shot in Goa and a bit of Mumbai. An experienced movie maker, he has made 15 movies in the last 18 years. he said The experience of making this movie was great as he had artistes in the cast that he worked with in the past. Speaking about Kevin, the hero of the film, he said he had matured in this film. He said, “When I write a character, it is basically ten percent and the rest has to be given by the artiste and that is something Kevin has done brilliantly in this movie. The role was meant for him and he took it like a fish to water. Jennifer, the main lead, has done a good job. Most lead actresses are very particular about their looks but in this film she is bald in 25 percent of the film and she was absolutely fine. The emotions she displays are genuine and I can say that the roles were meant for them.”
For the songs in the movie, he said they went out of Goa and recorded them in an outdoor studio on the Mumbai-Nasik highway. The music plays an important role in the movie and had to be done very well. If a song was deleted, it would affect the movie.
For Kevin D'Mello, the main protagonist in the movie, it was his third movie with Joywin. Kevin said he knew the director always made his actors feel comfortable and he was always able to understand whatever he said. All the roles he had enacted in Joywin’s movies were very different from each other. He said, “In this movie, I am enacting the role of a taxi driver. It is a love story, the film packs an emotional punch and is wonderfully made.”
Jennifer Fernando is the lead actress in the film and is not trained in the art. She learnt by watching her mother, who is an actress and a tiatrist, Dorothy Mascarenhas (Dola). She said, “I watched my mother acting in different roles all my life and picked up and learned.” According to Jennifer, the role in the film was full of emotion and it would suit everyone to watch it. The film hopefully gave her the strength to dream of a journey in which she sees herself acting either in Bollywood, Hollywood or Tollywood. She said she had an offer from Bollywood but the Sushant Singh Rajput incident scared her mother and she had to stay put. The film for her was an experience. The whole team supported each other. Life, she said, was full of twists and turns and it was not possible to achieve your dream but it was important to at least try.
The role of the father is played by well-known comedian Hubert who would be surprising everyone by the serious role he is playing in the movie. Hubert says, “I had a pleasant time shooting. The director understood and was good at his job. I am essaying a serious role. The heroine is my daughter. My wife and I are going through a bad phase in the film. It was an emotional role. Most of the other actors were happy with me and people will cry when they watch this movie. I think nowadays people like to watch a film that is family based.”
For Aplon, the veteran tiatrist who played the role of the mother of lead actress, it was an emotional role.
She said, “She is very close to her child. She is her only child and is her lifeline. The experience was splendid. The fact that Joywin was very methodical helped. He knows the way and he always captures the best of the actor. He is a man with a vision.”
One hopes the film meets the expectations of cinema lovers and importantly earns money for the people backing the movie. A healthy return will ensure the industry survives.