Few Hindi films approach Goa sensitively enough to uncover the authentic beauty of its unique culture and history for their audiences. In most films, Goa is fetishised and its people are caricatured (think about the portrayal of all the Mrs Braganças you have yet encountered in Hindi cinema). Shyam Benegal's Trikal (Past, Present, and Future) is a healthy departure from these tendencies as it consciously attempts to authentically bring the life and culture of the Catholic-dominated South Goan village of Loutolim of the 1960s to the silver screen and, in the process, wittingly or unwittingly, makes colonial Goa perhaps the most important 'character' of the film.
Set in late-1961 Goa, sitting at the cusp of liberation, Trikal follows the chaos taking place in the wealthy Sousa-Soares family's Old Goan mansion in the wake of the death of the patriarch of the family, Señor Ernesto Sousa Soares, whose sudden death comes during the visit of a Lisbon-based Goan-origin family seeking the hand of his eldest granddaughter, Anna. As the riveting family drama progresses with its many twists and turns, the traditions, superstitions, values, and complex family and community dynamics of Loutolim slowly lay themselves bare before the viewer in a visually breathtaking fashion. To open the film, Benegal makes excellent use of Naseeruddin Shah as the nostalgic adult self of Rui Pereira, a nephew of the closest family friend of the Sousa-Soares family who spends his childhood in the mansion in the 1950s and 60s and returns 25 years later to find it virtually abandoned.
The movie is replete with historical references that add another layer of authenticity to its story. The political struggle for Goa between India and Portugal in the 1950s and 60s forms the backdrop of many of the events transpiring in the film and contributes to the persistent feeling of uncertainty that Benegal uses to great effect to convey the tension prevailing in the Sousa-Soares mansion and presumably, by extension, the rest of Loutolim and Old Goa. The use of the ghost of Kushtoba Rane, a 19th-century rebel belonging to the Rane clan of Satari that resisted Portuguese rule in Goa, serves as the movie's connection with Goa's past. He makes poignant references to the violent excesses of the Portuguese in their 400-year-long rule of Goa that led to the erasure of its previous identity. A non-Goan viewer would be well-advised to scrape basic acquaintance with Goa's colonial history before watching Trikal to make sense of the historical references woven into its rich narrative.
Shyam Benegal's direction is engaging and flawless and brings out the best of his brilliantly cast actors. Ashok Mehta's extraordinary cinematography makes this film a spectacular treat that can be devoured for its visual beauty alone. Vanraj Bhatia excels in the music department, but mention must be made of the splendid performances of such legendary Goan musicians as Remo Fernandes and Emiliano da Cruz, among others, who lend to its music a rollicking Goan flavour. In the acting department, Naseeruddin Shah, Leela Naidu, Keith Stevenson, and Neena Gupta impress the most but the entire ensemble cast carries the movie forward elegantly. Shama Zaidi's chaste Hindustani screenplay may feel a little 'at odds' with the visuals at first and takes a little getting used to, but once that happens, it works brilliantly for Hindi speakers and by the time the movie folds into its beautifully written concluding monologue, the viewer experiences oneness with the words being spoken, a most powerful experience that, along with its splendid direction, stellar acting, and thoroughly enjoyable musical performances, make this film a marvellous triumph of cinematic excellence.
Set in late-1961 Goa, sitting at the cusp of liberation, Trikal follows the chaos taking place in the wealthy Sousa-Soares family's Old Goan mansion in the wake of the death of the patriarch of the family, Señor Ernesto Sousa Soares, whose sudden death comes during the visit of a Lisbon-based Goan-origin family seeking the hand of his eldest granddaughter, Anna. As the riveting family drama progresses with its many twists and turns, the traditions, superstitions, values, and complex family and community dynamics of Loutolim slowly lay themselves bare before the viewer in a visually breathtaking fashion. To open the film, Benegal makes excellent use of Naseeruddin Shah as the nostalgic adult self of Rui Pereira, a nephew of the closest family friend of the Sousa-Soares family who spends his childhood in the mansion in the 1950s and 60s and returns 25 years later to find it virtually abandoned.
The movie is replete with historical references that add another layer of authenticity to its story. The political struggle for Goa between India and Portugal in the 1950s and 60s forms the backdrop of many of the events transpiring in the film and contributes to the persistent feeling of uncertainty that Benegal uses to great effect to convey the tension prevailing in the Sousa-Soares mansion and presumably, by extension, the rest of Loutolim and Old Goa. The use of the ghost of Kushtoba Rane, a 19th-century rebel belonging to the Rane clan of Satari that resisted Portuguese rule in Goa, serves as the movie's connection with Goa's past. He makes poignant references to the violent excesses of the Portuguese in their 400-year-long rule of Goa that led to the erasure of its previous identity. A non-Goan viewer would be well-advised to scrape basic acquaintance with Goa's colonial history before watching Trikal to make sense of the historical references woven into its rich narrative.
Shyam Benegal's direction is engaging and flawless and brings out the best of his brilliantly cast actors. Ashok Mehta's extraordinary cinematography makes this film a spectacular treat that can be devoured for its visual beauty alone. Vanraj Bhatia excels in the music department, but mention must be made of the splendid performances of such legendary Goan musicians as Remo Fernandes and Emiliano da Cruz, among others, who lend to its music a rollicking Goan flavour. In the acting department, Naseeruddin Shah, Leela Naidu, Keith Stevenson, and Neena Gupta impress the most but the entire ensemble cast carries the movie forward elegantly. Shama Zaidi's chaste Hindustani screenplay may feel a little 'at odds' with the visuals at first and takes a little getting used to, but once that happens, it works brilliantly for Hindi speakers and by the time the movie folds into its beautifully written concluding monologue, the viewer experiences oneness with the words being spoken, a most powerful experience that, along with its splendid direction, stellar acting, and thoroughly enjoyable musical performances, make this film a marvellous triumph of cinematic excellence.