PANJIM: Melody queen and celebrated film, tiatr actress-cum-singer of yesteryears, Antonette Mendes passed away in Bandra, Mumbai, on Sunday morning after a prolonged illness. She was 80.
Born on May 10, 1944, Antonette Mendes hailed from Goa Velha, Tiswadi, but was born and brought up in Mumbai. She made her debut on the tiatr stage in 1960 at a young age of 14 in her father late A K D’Souza’s tiatr ‘Hanv To Tarvotti’.
Antonette Mendes has acted and rendered songs in tiatrs staged by noted tiatr directors of yesteryears J P Souzalin, Kid Boxer, Master Vaz, C Alvares, Prem Kumar, Alfred Rose, M Boyer, Anil Kumar, Chris Perry, Titta Pretto, H Briton, Jacinto Vaz, Remmie Colaco and others.
Apart from acting and renditions on the tiatr stage, Antonette Mendes also delivered heart rendering performances in iconic films such as ‘Nirmon’, ‘Amchem Noxib’ and ‘Sukhachem Sopon’. She also performed a small role in Jagdish Narulla’s Hindi film ‘Mohabat Zindagi Hai’. She carved a niche in the hearts of tiatr lovers with her inimitable style of rendering 'cantos'.
Antonette Mendes penned and directed her own tiatrs ‘Abghat’, ‘Tum Saiba Konn’ and 'Khoinchem Mhojem Ghor?’. She also directed her father’s tiatr ‘Dilolo Jurament’.
Noted for her melodious voice, after marrying noted tiatrist late Romeo Mendes in 1966, Antonette Mendes released 17 audio cassettes with the assistance of her husband. She leaves behind with three daughters - Judy, June and Lara, her sister Fatima and her brother Joaquim. Noted tiatr director Jose Rod is Antonette's son-in-law.