Goa govt objects to film projecting state as drug haven

Panaji, July 1: The BJP-led Goa government has objected to Hindi thriller 'Missing on a Weekend', which, it has claimed, projects the state as a haven for drugs and sex trade.

"We will write to the censor board and ensure that Goa's image is not affected. The state cannot be projected as narcotics and prostitution destination. We are a tourism state and we need to protect our identity," state Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar said here yesterday.

"How can the filmmaker make comments about Goa which depict the state in a negative light," he questioned. Parulekar said the state will not hesitate in approaching court to get the scenes and remarks depicting Goa in a wrong way deleted. "We have to make sure that overall branding of the state does not face a setback," the minister said.

The Abhishek Jawkar-directed film reportedly has some dialogues which claim that prostitutes and drugs are easily available in Goa. The state's apex tourism lobby Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) has also condemned any attempt to defame the state and its tourism industry. "It is totally wrong to depict something like that.

The crime rate has gone down. There are crackdowns on prostitution rackets, if at all they are found," TTAG president Savio Massias said. The film is slated for release today.

Notably, the Central Board of Film Certification and the makers of drugs-themed movie 'Udta Punjab' were recently engaged in a legal battle over the cuts suggested by the CBFC in the Shahid Kapoor and Alia Bhatt-starrer film.

The film was later released after the Bombay High Court gave its nod with one cut and a modified disclaimer.

PTI