Goa: Film on Scarlet shot without permission, authorities say

Panaji: `Anjuna Beach`, a film on the death of British teenager Scarlet Eden Keeling which rocked Goa three years ago, was shot without proper permission, local authorities said today.

Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG), the nodal agency for granting permission for shootings, had asked the producers of the film to give a declaration that the film was not detrimental to the image of Goa. However, ESG Chief Executive Officer Manoj Srivastava said here, neither the producer nor anyone representing the filmmaker returned with the declaration. He said he learnt from media reports that the film was shot for ten days on Anjuna beach. The film, produced by Sikandar Khan and directed by Shakeel S Sai, centres around the last few days of Scarlet in Goa, where she was holidaying with her mother, Fiona Mackeown. Two locals ? Samson D`Souza and Placido Carvalho - are on trial for drugging, raping and leaving Scarlet to die on Anjuna beach on February 18, 2008. The filmmaker told media that they shot for ten days on the spot where Scarlet`s body was found. ESG, headed by Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, has said that there aren`t enough laws under which the filmmaker can be penalised for shooting in the state without permission. The state-run body has become edgy about film shoots after `Dum maro Dum` controversy. Srivastava said that ESG had submitted a proposal to the Law department, seeking to amend the existing laws so that whoever shoots film without permission can be punished with imprisonment. Goa is fast emerging as a film shooting destination with over 600 shootings taking place last year. The beaches and the rural landscapes are becoming directors` preferred backdrops. PTI