Remember mid-May 1991? The day when, in little known Fatrade on the Salcete coast, a smuggling operation went horribly wrong and a man, related to a powerful politician then, was killed?
If you are recollecting the incident from the cobwebs of your mind, then look forward to a dramatisation of the event and the acclamation of customs officer, Costao Fernandes, as the well-deserved hero who busted the smuggling operation.
“I’m very excited to watch the biopic on me, which will make not just Goans relive the past, but will expose the truth to others all over the world,” says Mumbai-based 71-year-old Costao Fernandes, who spoke to GT Digital.
Costao, as the film is titled, brings to the screen the mind-boggling smuggling case, where on receiving a tip from a source about gold being smuggled and loaded at the Fatrade Jetty, Costao single-handedly overpowered the smugglers.
I’m very excited to watch the biopic on me, which will make not just Goans relive the past, but will expose the truth to others all over the world
Costao Fernandes, ex-custom officer, Goa
A scuffle between Costao and the brother of the bigwig local politician led to the latter being killed. The seized gold weighed 250 kg and was valued at Rs 8 crore.
Talking about the incident that happened in May 1991, Costao says, “It was not intentional, but accidental. I tried to save myself from being killed, and being a black belt in karate, I knew how to defend myself. I was later framed for the death,” he said.
After the scuffle and a knife fight, the politician's brother was injured and later succumbed to his injuries. In June 1991, the CBI registered a murder case, but after 23 long years the Supreme Court passed a judgement giving Costao a clean chit.
It is therefore entirely within reason that the movie poster by Bombay Fables describes the film as ‘Before they called him a hero, they called him guilty. Costao took on Goa’s smuggling network with nothing but grit and guts’.
The film stars Bollywood actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui (in the role of Costao), who shared a poster on his social media account. Directed by Sejal Shah and produced by Vinod Bhanushali, the film also stars Priya Bapat, Kishore Kumar, Hussain Dalal and others.
Costao himself is looking forward to the film, as are many others. He says, “I used to go to the sets to watch Nawazuddin perform, and I had met him a few times earlier. Many directors had approached me, but I was not willing to share (my story). Now I feel comfortable.”
Costao, who believes that country comes first, adds “Working in the Customs Department was a source of great pride and prestige for me.”
Goan actors – Dhruv Sinco and Shravan Fondekar – also have roles in the film, the former as one of the brothers involved, and the latter as the source who tipped the customs officer of the smuggling operation.
There are many shots which were taken in Goa, while there are some taken in Mumbai. I play the role of the source who tips Costao about the smuggling.
Shravan Fondekar, actor
“There are many shots which were taken in Goa, while there are some taken in Mumbai. I play the role of the source who tips Costao about the smuggling,” says Shravan, who adds that a few Konkani words are used to make it more realistic. Dhruv acts as one of the villains in the film.
The movie that will be out soon on OTT platform, ZEE5, is different from the standard Bollywood projection of Goa. So, as said in the beginning, if you remember the incident, you are in for a treat, and even if you don’t, it could shed light on the crime story that lay beneath Goa’s tourist paradise facade of the 1980s and 1990s.