Goa is full of ghost stories. Every aunt and uncle you meet has a dozen stories to share about haunted houses, fields, rivers, and roads. There are also stories about how entire villages and even chapels are haunted by spirits. Recently, Goan actor and director Elvis Kahn Fernandes released Konkani cinema’s first ever horror film, Cynthia, based here in Goa. The story is about a newly married couple that moves into a haunted house, and the wife gets possessed – pretty scary stuff. The movie fared well in the cinemas among the Goan diaspora, but now there’s even more cause for horror. Premiering this month on Netflix is Typewriter, a mini-series shot and based here in Goa, and if the trailer is anything to go by – it’s going to be a shocker.
The story
With a name like ‘Typewriter’, you know a haunted typewriter is going to be an integral part of the story. The horror mystery is set in and around the fictitious ‘Bardez Villa’, where a series of strange deaths have occurred. A group of ghost hunters are trying to solve the mystery, but when a new family moves into Bardez Villa, things start to get a little complicated. Add to that, there’s the small bit about this particular book, and the typewriter used to write it. We see from the trailer that the new occupant seems to have found the typewriter. So is she the one ‘typing’ the deaths of those around her, or is she involved somehow? The cops seem to think so, but you’ll have to watch the series to find out what actually happens.
The background
Typewriter is not only set in Goa but is also filmed predominantly in Goa. With the exception of the house which is actually a film set in Mumbai, pretty much all of the locations shown are shot in Goa. You’ll find places like Vagator, Revora, CHOGM Road, and the Mapusa Market. Goan photographer, Prasad Pankar, also lent his house for a few shots. The film stars Nachom-ia Kumpasar and K Sera Sera star Palomi Ghosh, along with Purab Kohli, Sameer Kochhar, Aarna Sharma, Mikhail Gandhi, Palash Kamble, Aaryansh Malviya, and Goa’s very own Meenacshi Martins. In a recent interview with Navhind Times recently, Ghosh talked about her coincidental relationship with Goa saying, “I acted in another short film which was done with the intention of it being made into a film, but it didn’t release. Something or the other keeps taking me to Goa” when asked how it is she keeps ending up in Goa when it comes to making movies. With regards to Typewriter, Ghosh explained that the mini-series will have just 5 episodes and that the shoot itself took a month in Goa. “I was in Goa for a month. We shot across the state as the story is about a Goan family and is extensively about Goa,” she said, “it is my second movie with Meenacshi Martins and it was exciting to share the screen with her again.”
Typewriter premiers on Netflix on July 19. If you don’t have a Netflix account, you can signup here. What do you think about the series? Does it sound like something you would watch? Let us know in the comments below.
