Trouble In Paradise

Goa boy Miransha Naik’s debut feature film shines a light on the sunny state’s dark corners.

- Sarit Ray

Miransha Naik dropped out of college in his first year. He was convinced that another two years of studying commerce would be an utter waste of time. So, he traded education for quick money, working at a restaurant, and soon opened his own shack on Benaulim Beach. For a boy from a small village called Borimol, you’d say he had done well already.

But then Naik had his second epiphany. He had grown up watching and loving films like Masoom (1983) and Saudagar (1991), and The Godfather (1972) on video cassettes, and having made some money at 25, he decided he wanted to work in cinema. “It was a dream. But I knew it was a fantasy for so many others as well.” The pragmatic dreamer, instead of packing his bags for Mumbai, attended a three-month film-writing course in Delhi, and later, signed up for a two-year film-making course in Mumbai.