How Bollywood lost its Goan rhythm

While it has been a decade since the release of Nachom-ia Kumpasar, this year also marks the 80th birthday of the legendary Goan singer Lorna Cordeiro (born August 9, 1944).

In this interview with Bardroy Barretto, director of the Konkani-language Nachom-ia Kumpasar (2014), we discuss its chronicling of the contribution of Goan musicians to the Golden Era of Indian cinema (late 1940s-1960s). Set in Goa and Bombay of the 1960s, Barretto’s film fictionalises the period by portraying the lives of musicians who are, in turn, inspired by real-life Goan entertainers, Lorna Cordeiro, Chris Perry (1928-2002), and others.

Even as the film demonstrates how Goan music with its Portuguese influences created the soundtrack for Bollywood in the second half of the 20th century, Nachom-ia Kumpasar also bears witness to the part played by the Indian film industry and film history in undermining the legacy of Goan musicians.

Additionally, the interview includes Barretto’s perspective on how Bombay became a site of possibility for Goans at the end of Portuguese colonialism, their forays into entertainment giving rise to Goan, Konkani-language theatre (tiatr and film, as well.

Further, as Nachom-ia Kumpasar and its director evidence, Goan musicians not only brought their Portuguese colonial-era musical training to Bollywood, but also the rhythms of jazz. While such musical histories may be forgotten, and as Barretto’s film...

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