Water, water everywhere

But this kind of bad luck does not come his way too often. In the late 8217;80s he was new to the profession, now 8212; 20 films later 8212; Malcolm owns one speedboat, three small motorboats and fivewindsurfers. He also owns Maldan Engineering they sell watersport equipment and he knows exactly when the tide will turn.

But 22-year-old Malcolm was reaching for the sky when he ended up in deep water. Well, not literally. His love for flying led him to join the Bombay Flying Club but that turned out to be too expensive. Looking for an alternative, this beach-born-and-bred boy8217;s gaze fell on the sea 8212; and lo and behold! a small 15-horse power second-hand motorboat was bought. And sold. That is, Malcolm was sold on the sea and his next purchase was a 25-horse power engine boat and later a 40-horse power engine seaworthy vehicle. Bought from industrialist Adi Godrej, Malcolm finally felt he was flying.

For a person with a passion for the outdoors, Malcolm8217;s day job surprisingly kept him indoors. Trained in hotel management, mechanical engineering and business management, this degree collector joined the family business in 1981. He worked for 14 years as the director of Ramada Inn 8212; established by hisgrandfather Gasper Coelho, in 1920. Malcolm8217;s father, Peter, also in the family business, gave Malcolm the fillip to fly. An aeronautical engineer, he was not allowed to fly by his father. That8217;s when he decided that it would not become a family tradition. Peter encouraged Malcolm to go back to flying and pick up a private pilot8217;s license.

While the skies let him soar, the sea proved to be more hassle-free. Malcolm soon mastered windsurfing and even formed a Windsurfing Club in 1982, at the Ramada. The hobby turned into a business proposition when people flooded him with enquiries. What started with four members, turned into a full-fledged 120-member club. And while Malcolm had to shut shop, it led him to get into the business of importing windsurfing equipment. Today that has grown into Maldan Engineering.

This was also the beginning of a long-standing relationship with the film industry. In 1984, his actor friend Bob Cristo 8212; the bald bad white man 8212; asked Malcolm to supply a waterboat for a movie.Malcolm does not remember the name of the film but he does recall that he recovered his excursions fuel cost 8212; Rs 1,500.

After that Malcolm was flooded with requests from Bollywood and you could say his has been captured on celluloid. His boats have been used in films like Deedar, Azmaish, Ek Ladka Ek Ladki and 100 Days. This success also allowed Malcolm to import power boats, windsurfers and catamarans. He has even bought over an Australian plant to manufacture a range of para- sailing equipment, water skis and pedal boats. He has sold over a 100 pieces to MTDC, and Goa has around 40 of his products.

The rest of Malcolm8217;s life reads like one of the films he supplies props for. Passionate about promoting water sports, in 1987, MTDC let him set up a water sport centre at Panshet, near Pune. Now, he plans to set up a Rs five crore water sports centre in Goa. And as business thrives, so does business sense. Today, Malcolm rents his boats out for nothing less than Rs 10,000 for an eight-hourshoot. Keeping afloat, after all, is expensive business.