Every January, the city of Mapusa is all lit up as it holds the popular zatra in Bardez at the Bodgeshwar Temple. People from different walks of life make it a point to visit the temple to offer their prayers and ask for protection. The temple is dedicated to Shree Dev Bodgeshwar who is known as the Rankondar or protector of Mapusa. Locals believe that the deity is always walking around with a stick and is usually offered blankets and leather slippers but this year, a stick made of gold was offered to the protector.
This protector entity known as Rakhondar across Goa have been believed to be protecting nature and human beings since time immemorial. There are many stories passed down from generation to generation about the Rakhonkar helping people in need especially during the night. “In Goa, it is common to hear stories about the Rakhondar and there are different accounts that are narrated. There are legends about the Rakhondar taking people and hiding them for a period of time, right from a week to even a year. The main explanation is not to play with nature and to live a responsible life,” says Sainath Parab, a young filmmaker who directed, ‘Rakhondar’.
Sainath worked on the film during the first wave of Covid-19. The story revolves around a group of youngsters who travel to the hinterland of Goa for picnic and are completely reckless in the behaviour towards nature by strewing garbage and breaking bottles. How does this action payoff is something to watch in the remainder of the film. Though a completely fictional film, Sainath has used a lot of elements that he personally experienced. “I was thinking about this subject for a long time. During Covid-19, I met Shrikant Gaude, a well-known theatre artist, who wanted to work on a different short film. But I was not getting the thrill of writing on my own subject. I finally wrote this story and read it to Shrikant who introduced me to Sameer Khedekar, the producer of the film,” says Sainath.
Shrikant works with a folk art group in Curti, Ponda and for the cast, they had a screen test of the students. While just two actors are professional actors, the rest all are new talent. “The students were very natural, cooperative and hard working. I wrote the characters according to the real person. There are very few lines in the short film and many scenes are improvised by the characters themselves. While Shrikant plays the lead role of a father and nature lover, Pramod Mahadeshwar from Sankhalim plays his part well with his raw and husky voice. I wanted to show scenes as close to reality as can be and incidents like arguing with the police and finding broken beer bottles at waterfalls and springs is something I have seen personally. I wanted the film to be entertaining and thrilling and yet not preachy,” explains Sainath.
The music for the film is by Mukesh Ghatwal, dubbing is by Bhavesh Fulari, art direction and production co-ordination is by Sunil Gaude and production manager is Sameer Khedekar. The cast of the film includes Shrikant Gaude, Gauravi Gaude, Pramod Mahadeshwar, Sunil Gaude, Yashwant Gaude,Sudhakar Gaude, Mitesh Gaude, Rajendra Naik, Uday Naik, Mahesh Gaude, Shubham Gaude, Mamta Kurtikar, Vidhya Gaude, Tashvi Gaude and Chandresh Gaude.
There are many events that test the faith of a person, the film showcases that God and superior beings cannot save people every time. “I wanted people to realise that people are also responsible for the consequences of their action. Someone will pay the price for another’s folly. I have used the legend of the Rakhandar with the help of cinema to create the story,” says Sainath, who worked on the direction besides the sound design, editing and colour grading.
The film is shot near Katamgal Devasthan, Farmagudi, Ponda and shows the pristine side of Goa. To get a feel of the Rakhandar, Sainath travelled to Shree Katamgal Dada divine shrine in Ponda. “I have the habit of mediating and I sat under the tree and after sometime I felt the calming presence of a divine entity. When I opened my years, I realised that nature was alive in that place with the rustling of leaves, grunting of buffaloes resting in the murky waters of the pond and the birds on the tree. It might be this same entity that our ancestors felt that made them live their lives closer to nature,” adds Sainath.
Speaking about the Gharane, an invocation to the Rakhandar, there is a very different way of singing it, “The Gharane which is used in the film, is the one that is performed at Bodgeshwar. Rather than begging or asking to a superior being, this prayer is more of a demand or an order to take care of his people. Once the vow is fulfilled,
they pay their gratitude they offer a bunch of bananas, betel nuts, paan, blankets etc,” concludes Sainath.