‘Little Thomas’ draws on childhood memories and Goa’s culture
to tell a story set in the 1990s
CHRISTINE MACHADO
NT BUZZ
As a child, filmmaker Kaushal Oza often wished he had a little brother. Years later, he found that many people whom he met shared his feeling that growing up without a sibling was no fun. Those memories, along with books such as ‘Little Nicolas’ and ‘Malgudi Days’, inspired his new film, ‘Little Thomas’.
Set in 1990s Goa, the film tells the story of Thomas, a young boy who sets out to discover how babies are born. Oza draws on his research to portray Goa beyond its popular tourist image.
“I wanted to create a culturally rich world without documentary-style realism, giving it a fairytale-like yet believable treatment. Researching Goa helped me identify nuances such as bakeries, costumes and names,” says the two-time National Award-winning director.
One of his key references was cartoonist Mario Miranda’s sketches from the early 1950s, which captured everyday life in Loutolim. Oza used these as inspiration for details of the characters and their appearance.
He says, “In fact, Thomas’ parents call him Thomasino, a name I borrowed from a Mario Miranda sketch. For some of the funnier characters, we also recreated the costumes Mario Miranda’s characters wear.”
His research helped him learn more about Goa’s heritage and architecture. A visit to a 400-year-old seminary and trips to Chandor and Loutolim helped him understand the state’s history, while the different varieties of ‘poi’ caught his attention.
“Now I feel Mumbai born but with a partly Goan heart,” he says with a smile. The film’s setting is not its only appeal, according to Oza.
He says, “A lot of people have told me that the visuals look very fresh and that they are tired of seeing violence and blood and gore on screen. They want films that are funny but not stupid, emotional but not overdone and have good songs and music. It’s not just nostalgia for a time but also the desire to watch a movie that tells a small story with a very big heart.”
The film stars Hridansh Parekh as Thomas, with Rasika Dugal and Gulshan Devaiah as his parents. Goan actors play several other roles in the film, which was shot over two weeks.
Oza says the team initially considered casting Goan children but the pool of available actors was limited. “The film nevertheless included several local performers.”
Goan writer Bhupesh Bandekar worked on the film’s dialogues and dialects. “There needed to be just enough Konkani for everyone to understand or to make them curious enough to ask or Google a word if they don’t get it. You can’t overwhelm the audience to the point where they stop caring,” he says.
Describing his collaboration with Oza, Bandekar says, “I used to throw options at Kaushal and he would decide how much I could push and where I needed to stop. I loved this process and after a point, when Kaushal knew I had caught the sur of the film, he gave me a free hand.”
Bandekar suggested creating an original Konkani song instead of acquiring the rights to a classic and went on to write Jack and Jill. He worked with music director Shailendra Barve to compose the song. “I had a couple of melodies, Shailendra sat at his harmonium and within no time, we had a tune. I came up with a hook and in just a couple of hours, we had the full song,” says Bandekar, who also wrote the Hindi version.
A former lawyer in Goa, Bandekar left the profession to pursue writing and cinema.
“I feel blessed to be a part of this film. I was previously a lawyer in Goa but decided to quit and pursue what I genuinely love doing. I have always wanted to be part of the Hindi film industry and contributing to Hindi cinema today is a dream come true,” he says.
Producer Ranjan Singh of Flip Films, who previously lived in Goa and was associated with running Inox, helped Oza find filming locations in Panaji that had rarely been used in films. The film was also shot in the precinct where Singh had once worked.
“There’s an added layer of an easy going quality about it in the dialogues, settings and emotions. For me, that’s the best part which reminds me of Goa and it makes me want to return to the state soon,” says Singh.
The other producers are Anurag Kashyap, Anushka Shah, Charu Oza, Rajnikant Oza, Akshay Thakker and Kabir Ahuja.
Bandekar hopes more Goans will pursue careers in cinema. He says, “It’s easy to jump into a well but you can’t give up, nor can you come here with a strict time frame. You must have enough passion and hunger in your belly to keep going.”
