Costao

In 1990s Goa, a determined customs officer, Costao Fernandes, wages a fierce battle against a large gold smuggling network. His pursuit of justice thrusts him into dangerous situations. A confrontation with the smugglers leads to a death, and Costao is subsequently accused of murder. How does he stay committed to his duty amidst the heavy personal toll in his fight against corruption in Goa? Nawazuddin Siddiqui is the lifeline of the film, who uses dialogues and body language to masterfully depict his fiery yet underplayed arrogance. However, he needed a more engaging script to sink his teeth into. Priya Bapat is as reliable as ever, winning your empathy while cast as a responsible wife who prioritises her family over anything else.

All things considered, Costao is not your cookie-cutter Bollywood biopic. It stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui as Costao Fernandes, the plucky Goa customs officer who killed the brother of a powerful minister in self-defense while trying to bust a gold-smuggling operation in 1991. This incident happens around 30 minutes into the two-hour-long film. At this point, he goes on the run; the Goa police as well as the politician’s goons search for him. The CBI soon puts him on trial for murder, and the gangster plans cold-blooded revenge. He is even attacked in a medical room by henchmen disguised as doctors. Most stories would stage his fight for innocence as an extension of this moment — as a tense battle for survival. One can almost imagine a high-pitched climax where he uncovers proof, exposes the smugglers, wins the case and clears his own name.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s gift to embody individuals committed to their ideology is frequent fodder for cinema. After playing the unwavering Dashrath Manjhi in Manjhi: The Mountain Man, illustrious author Saadat Hasan Manto in Manto, blunt politician and Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray in Thackeray and psychotic serial killer Raman Raghav in Raman Raghav 2.0, the actor plays a 1990s Goan hero in the eponymous Costao. Customs officer Costao Fernandes rose to fame for standing his ground against an influential smuggling kingpin when the latter dragged him to court for the murder of his younger brother.

What a wonderful story to document on celluloid. Costao Fernandes, the upright customs officer out to clean the coastal waters of Goa by going after gold smugglers with missionary zeal, has a heroism to his story that is rare. It’s a 90s’ tale unknown to most Indians and needed to be told with impactful storytelling. However, neither director Sejal Shah not writers Bhavesh Mandalia and Meghna Srivastava manage to give heft to his fight against gold smuggling and against the system that impedes his mission. There are flashes that are promising. In what’s supposed to be Costao’s young daughter’s voiceover, you’re told that 24-carat gold is priceless but useless, it can’t even shape into jewellery without milavat. “Mummy says the same about Costao.”

गोआ कस्टम में एक अफसर हुआ करते थे-कॉस्ताव फर्नांडीज़। बेहद बहादुर, साहसी और ईमानदार। लेकिन ये तीनों गुण इंसान से अपनी कीमत मांगते हैं। कॉस्ताव को भी इसकी कीमत चुकानी पड़ी। एक रेड के दौरान उनके हाथों से एक आदमी मारा गया और उन पर लग गया उसके कत्ल का इल्ज़ाम। क्या कॉस्ताव इस आरोप से बरी हो पाए? क्या कीमत चुकानी पड़ी उन्हें अपनी ईमानदारी की? यह फिल्म उन्हीं कॉस्ताव फर्नांडीज़ की कहानी दिखाती है। एक गुमनाम-से कस्टम अफसर की कहानी में ऐसा क्या हो सकता है कि कोई उस पर फिल्म बनाए? ज़ाहिर है कि किसी भी फिल्म की सबसे ज़रूरी चीज़ होती है उससे मिलने वाला मनोरंजन और मैसेज, जिसे नाटकीय घटनाओं के ज़रिए दर्शकों तक पहुंचाया जाता है। इस फिल्म में भी ये कोशिशें हुई हैं। लेखक भावेश मंडालिया और मेघना श्रीवास्तव ने कॉस्ताव की ज़िंदगी के उतार-चढ़ाव दिखाते हुए इस बात के भरसक प्रयत्न किए है कि वे उन्हें रोचक बना सकें और दर्शकों को बांध सकें। लेकिन वे इसमें पूरी तरह से कामयाब नहीं हो पाए हैं। इस किस्म की कहानी जिसमें ज़बर्दस्त थ्रिल हो सकता है, ईमानदार नायक की भ्रष्ट लोगों के साथ तगड़ी भिड़ंत हो सकती है, देश और फर्ज़ के प्रति उसके जुड़ाव से भावनाओं का बहाव हो सकता है, वह अगर काफी हद तक ‘रूखी’ और ‘ठंडी’ निकले तो कसूर लेखकों का ही माना जाएगा। बायोपिक बनाते समय तथ्यात्मक तौर पर ईमानदार होना ठीक है लेकिन सिनेमा की भाषा, शिल्प और शैली को समझते हुए फिल्म वालों को नाटकीय होना पड़ेगा, फिल्म बना रहे हैं तो ड्रामा डालना पड़ेगा, नहीं तो नतीजा वही होगा जो इस फिल्म का हुआ है-रूखा, ठंडा, हल्का।

Honest customs officer up against a wall of corruption. Costao, based on the real-life story of Costao Fernandes who fought with all his might to stall gold-smuggling in the Goa of the 90s, has Nawazuddin Siddiqui in a role that’s worthy of his talents, but a script which is distinctly lacklustre. A film that starts with a voiceover alerts you to the fact that the writers couldn’t find a more original way to tell their story. In this instance, Costao’s loving daughter is made the conduit, and the film becomes as much tell as it is show.