In the Facebook yesterday, prominent writer/journalist Daniel D’Souza wrote thus:
“As a senior writer director and playwright, I have high regards for Patrick Dourado. It was with this respect, after a fairly long time I ventured to go and see his latest tiatr ‘Mhozo Sangati Tho’ showing at the Ravindra Bhavan Baina, Vasco this afternoon. It was shocking to see the comedy sequence between comedian Brayan and comedian Luis Bach’chan wherein they openly display a ladies nightie, a black coloured ladies slip, and a red ladies brassier to evoke cheap laughter...”
There was a time when this beautiful art of Tiatro went into the hands of third grade Tiatrists who used the Tiatro Stage to release thru their filthy tongues and actions nothing but filth and vulgarity. It was during this period that educated and elite class of Goans stopped from going to see the Tiatros. So much so, the decent people even stopped moving with Tiatrists and also stopped having their friendships. Good and decent families then stopped getting their daughters married to Tiatrists because of their low caliber discipline. These Tiatrists were Drunkards, Sex maniacs, ruffians, rowdies, jobless and irresponsible.
Seeing this state of affairs of these Tiatrists, Joa Agostinho Fernandes who is called Pai Tiatrist, sitting on the grass ground at Azad Maidan in Bombay was found crying When asked why he was crying, replied Pai Tiatrist thus, “I am crying to see to what level our Tiatros are brought by the “Rostad” Tiatrists. This art of Tiato is a great art which was created by Lucazinho Ribeiro and we carried it forward with noble principle for noble artistes and for noble audience. But sadly it is gone now into the hands of “Rostad” Tiatrists who bring it a very bad name”.
During those days the decent and elite parents would never easily allow their sons to act in the Tiatros. Acting in Tiatros means lowering one’s family status. During those days Tiatrists were equated with prostitutes in the sense that the way the services of prostitutes are sought for few hours, in the same way Tiatrists were admired for few hours till the end of Tiators. They were called the Kings of three hours but after this period they were rejected by the decent society because of their indecent acts and vulgarity displayed on the Stage.
Once in my village, my father as a contractor organized one Tiatro of Bombay troupe where the late C. Alvares rendered a duet with Philomena Braz. In this duet Alvares sings one line thus “Aum poddlam tujea mogan pun azunui shot marunk na Golan”. Listening to this statement, Rostad audience applauded Alvares but decent ones condemned it, so much so, some decent persons from the audience came to my father and told him to convey their disgust to Alvares saying such a terminology does not suit him especially when Alvares is enjoying top status in the Tiatro world.
In Kuwait nobody wrote reviews of Tiatros as I did, both in Konkani and English. When I landed first time in Kuwait, our Tiatros were full of vulgarity and indecency because most of the Tiatrists were of third grade having no education, no proper manner nor proper family background. Vulgarity and “Zupatti” were routine and audience loved it. Xavier Gomes had a very dirty habit when singing his solo as a female, to pull up his dress while going out and thereby giving cheap pleasure to the cheap audience who immediately blow their whistles to call him back. Then I used my pen to oppose this vulgarity till he stopped it.
Once while singing their trio in the Church Hall, Cajetan-Marcus-Xavier, they displayed ladies undergarments, namely Panty and Brasiers. Seeing this, the decent people got disgusted on this Trio even complaining to the Bishop to stop renting the Church Hall to stage Tiatros. Immediately then I wrote my review in Konkani Weekly condemning this vulgarity and mentioning thus “Eklean Cheddi dakoili aple Naikinnichi, dusrean Body dakoili aple bailechi ani tisrean aple dhuvechi”. Though I gained ill will from the culprits but I succeeded in halting the repetition of such vulgarity.
What I observed from those Tiatrists who used filth on the Stage was that their family background and family discipline were very low. They are brought up like “Rostad” without any parental guidance, without proper educational background and without decent surrounding. Once because of his double meaning solo, I refused the late H. Briton from participating in one of our Shows in Kuwait.
Even recently I directly pointed out on his face to one comedian of Roseferns Tiatro that he should stop doing vulgarity on the Stage.
Currently only the cheap, the third class and Rostad type of comedians make use of vulgar and indecent comedy. It is they who bring the standard of Tiatro down. They must know that they are not the owners of this art to do what they want. As a director, Patrrick Dourado must stop vulgarity in his Tiatro with immediate effect and must apologise for this goof.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Candolim, Goa.
Tel: 7507394349.
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