The Goan Konkani theatre had been blessed with Antonette Mendes, a singer, an actress and a director who for more than three decades, has been amusing the ‘tiatr’ audience and admirers of Konkani music, with her peculiar style of acting and melodious singing.
Antonette made her very first appearance, onto the Konkani stage at a tender age of 15, in ‘Aum Tho Tarvotti’ (It's me, the Seaman), a play written and presented by her dad, Mr. A. K. D’Souza at the Princess Street Theatre in Bhangwadi. Here, Antonette sang a solo piece and wanted to continue singing. However, her father was of the opinion that she should try acting alongside with singing and become one of the most sought-after actresses in those days.
This early exposure led Mendes to partake in the tiatr ‘Fuddar’ (Future), helmed by the Konkani playwright Kid Boxer, which was performed in Bombay and Goa. She was also offered roles to play in various dramas by late C. Alvares, J. P. Souza and Alfred Rose. She continued acting for M. Boyer, Prem Kumar, Master Vaz and many others as well. With time she gradually wrote and directed her very own ‘tiatr’; ‘Tum Saiba Konn’, ‘Abgath’, and ‘Khoinchem Mhojem Ghor’, along with her husband, late Romeo Mendes. Antonette was part of two of the best Konkani films ever produced in the history of Konkani cinema. In the movie ‘Nirmonn’, her rendition of the song ‘Claudia’ made it one of the greatest hits of Goan music. Her appearance in ‘Amchem Noxb’, as pretty 16-year-old opposite late Anthony Mendes, a comedian has been remembered until today. There, in her melodious voice she sang ‘Tum nasloi punn tuka sweaterkori’. There were others too. ‘Pixem’, ‘Bebdem’, ‘Pitti Pitti Mog’ and those M. Boyer’s hits like ‘Dothi Magon’.
Some of her pieces have been recorded on the HMV label for gramophone records. Her personal releases, include ‘Jivit Ek Sopon’, ‘Vailankanni’ and ‘Raiturchi Imaj’, available on audio cassettes. Other highlights of her career include, a major role in Cyrus Mistry’s English play ‘The Legacy of Rage’, where she plays a subtly manipulative woman and a comedy role in Jagdish Narulla’s Hindi film, ‘Mohabbat Zindagi Hai’. The state government felicitated her, for her contribution towards upkeep of Goan culture through Konkani theatre. Mendes felt privileged to have succeeded in her career, in the days when women were regarded as those who were supposed to slog in the kitchen.
She was very grateful to her family, for all the support and encouragement she received from them throughout her journey of life. To all the new commers in the field of theatre she says, ‘work hard, to achieve your goals, as there are no short cuts to success’. Further she mentioned that young script writers should bring about a change in society and concentrate on family unity. Along her journey spanning for over 30 years, Antonette has travelled to places like East Africa, England and the Gulf countries. Throughout her career, Mendes delivered several memorable performances, but it is her portrayal in Mauli (Gardener), a non-stop tiatr written and directed by her son-in-law, that stands out as her most unforgettable achievement.