All that jazz

Bardroy Barretto conceived his first feature film, Nachom-ia Kumpasar (Let’s Dance to the Rhythm), 12 years ago. Loosely inspired from the story of legendary Goan musicians Lorna Cordeiro and Chris Perry, the 46-year-old advertising professional’s film is set in Bombay of the 1960s and highlights the jazz club scene of the time. Barretto speaks about the genesis and evolution of the project.

Your film is loosely inspired from true events. How did the project begin?

There was music all around when I was growing up. So I was drawn towards music. The more I listened to the music, the more I wanted to know these musicians. I knew there was a bigger story out there. It could’ve been a documentary, but I wanted to narrow it down to one chapter. So I took the love story as an excuse. Chris and Lorna are the primary characters. Using their songs I prepared a playlist and wrote the scenes in between.

Why did you fictionalise it instead of doing a biopic?

It is difficult to do biopics. I don’t think everyone is comfortable talking about their lives. So I had to fictionalise it. Also, Chris died in 2000, so there was no way of getting his version. And people don’t talk about [their story] even today. People who know them also won’t talk. It’s only when I was researching the music with people from that era that I came to know about their lives.

Your film looks at how Goan musicians haven’t been acknowledged for their contribution to the Hindi film industry. Why was that?

Whether RD (Burman) or C Ramchandra, Hindi film music showed the influence of Goan musicians. But these guys were not too interested. For them it was a part-time job. They were live performers. I think, being Goans they were also not too ambitious. But they were not credited. But this happens in all industries.

There’s a stereotype of Goans in Hindi films, which your film remarks on. Were you also trying to rectify that?

Any Pinto will be a drunkard. Goans are stereotyped as drunkards. My film has true Goans. We have people drinking, but only one is a drunkard.

You seem to be staggering the screening of the film. Why is that?

A film remains in the theatre for a few weeks. We wanted to keep it relevant for at least two years. We will be completing one year since the first screening in Goa. We don’t want two-week glory.

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