''Malang'' effect: Goa to frame guidelines for filmmakers

Panaji: The Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG) is upset with films that seek to portray the tourist hotspot as a “drug or prostitution” destination and working on guidelines for moviemakers to curb attempts to malign the image of the state, officials said on Friday.

The trigger for the move was the just-released Hindi film ‘Malang’ which was slammed by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant for projecting Goa in a poor light.

The ESG, a state-affiliated body, has decided to come out with a set of measures, including getting an undertaking from filmmakers that they will not defame Goa, an international tourist destination, and vetting scripts.

Subhash Faldesai, Vice-Chairman of ESG, told PTI that serious thought has been given by the body to often maligning of the state through movies”.

Sawant, who is also ESG chairman, last week had taken strong objection to certain scenes in Malang, claiming they “malign the image of the state”.

The Mohit Suri-directed romantic thriller was shot in Goa and it hit theatres on February 7. The film, featuring Aditya Roy Kapur and Disha Patani in the lead, has scenes of drug and rave parties in Goa.

The ESG is the nodal agency which regulates film shootings in the state.

“If there is any scene which directly or indirectly maligns Goa, then the ESG will not allow it. The wrong perception should not be created about Goa by labeling it as a drug, liquor or prostitution destination,” Faldesai said.

“The ESG is contemplating getting an undertaking from movie producers that they will not portray the state in a negative light and then only allowing them to shoot,” he said.

“We believe in protecting the creative freedom of filmmakers, but not at the cost of Goa’s image,” he said.

ESG Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Amit Satija said the body is in the process of working out modalities on how to stop distortion of Goas image on celluloid.

We are also consulting out the legal team before framing guidelines for moviemakers, he said.

The ESG, affiliated to the Goa Information and Publicity Department, is the nodal agency for the organisation of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in the state.

The main aim of the ESG is to frame policies to help cultivate Goa into a world-class international entertainment nerve center of the country.