''O Maria'' is a

Konkani language Konkani () is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Konkani people, primarily in the Konkan region, along the western coast of India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages mentioned in the Indian Constitution, and the official language ...

film released in 2010 in Goa,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. It is the fourth film by

Rajendra Talak Rajendra Talak is an Indian film director, from Goa. He is best known for his award-winning Konkani films, ''Aleesha'' and ''O Maria''. Early life Talak was born in Comba, Margao, Goa. He attended the Mahila Nutan and Popular High School ...

after the

National Award The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate ...

winning ''Aleesha'' 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 is an Indian film and theatre actor, who works in Hindi and English films, most known for her roles in films like ''Black'' (2005) and '' Guzaarish'' (2010) and English language theatre in Mumbai. She made her theatre debut with ' ...

) 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

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

i property developer Jiten Shah 'Jitubhai' (

Tiku Talsania Tiku Talsania (born 7 June 1954) is an Indian actor, who works in the Bollywood industry. Apart from acting in films and television serials, he also performs as a freelance theatre artist, working for Gujarati theatre. Career Television Tiku h ...

). For this he needs Maria’s approval because her brother John (

tiatr is a type of musical theatre popular in the state of Goa on the west coast of India as well as in Mumbai and with expatriate communities in the Middle East, United Kingdom and other cities where Konkani speakers have a considerable presence. The ...

ist

Roseferns Roseferns (born Antonio Rosario Fernandes; 21 September 1954) is an Indian actor and director who is a Konkani tiatrist. He popularly goes under the sobriquet A sobriquet ( ), or soubriquet, is a nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by ...

) 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 John D'Silva (born 20 February 1970) is an Indian Konkani actor, playwright and director. D'Silva is the first tiatrist to enter the Limca Book of Records in 2010 for acting, writing, directing and producing 25 tiatrs having a double alphabet ...

) 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 Panaji (; also known as Panjim) is the capital of the Indian state of Goa and the headquarters of North Goa district. Previously, it was the territorial capital of the former Portuguese India. It lies on the banks of the Mandovi river estuary ...

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 its 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 Fernandes Luís Remo de Maria Bernardo Fernandes (born 8 May 1953) is a singer and musician from India with naturalized Portuguese citizenship. Known as a pioneer of Indian pop music, he performs pop/ rock/Indian fusion and is also a film playback singe ...

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.

References

External links

* {{YouTube, 9hoXQhm_IBI, O Maria Official trailer Goan music Films set in Goa 2010s Konkani-language films