12 Jul 2020  |   03:56am IST

Non-stop Rod is entertainment unlimited

Curchorem’s Jose Rod has set the tiatr stage on fire with his acting and singing. Curchorem’s jewel, he is Goa’s star, having worked with the major gurus of the Goan stage. Now, after a health enforced break of almost 7 years, he plans to come out with a new album, with recording under process.

Pio Esteves;

Stunning the audience with character roles and a versatile singer, Jose Rod is a household name in the field of tiatr. During his journey as a super star of the Konkani stage, he also has some path-breaking records to his credit

Born on January 18, 1963, Joseph Constancio Rodrigues popularly known as Jose Rod on the Konkani stage, hails from Curchorem in south Goa. The proud son-in-law of stalwarts of the tiatr stage, Antonette Mendes and late Romeo Mendes, Rod is based in Kuwait, he was introduced on the tiatr stage at the tender age of 5, as a child artiste, by Mike Mehta in Sanvordem-based Albert Carvalho’s tiatr ‘Nitik Sampoddlo’, which had professional cast featuring late M Boyer, Remmie Colaco, Jacint Vaz and others and it was staged across Goa.

“During that period of time, ‘non-stop’ shows were quite popular in Goa,” revealed Jose Rod, “and it mostly carried 10-12 songs comprising of one verse and one chorus and all songs were related and merged in the play.” Mike Mehta, who was related to Jose Rod (dad’s cousin), introduced him in his tiatrs ‘Papagai Canta e Bera’, ‘Sunita’ and ‘Rogot Goykaranchem’.

A little later, Jose Rod featured in Anthony San’s non-stop show ‘Darvontto’, where he was presented as an artiste and a singer. “When it came to singing songs,” he said, “all songs were composed by me and rendered with gusto on stage.”

Next, Prince Jacob introduced Jose Rod in his non-stop show ‘Pinzrem’ in a character role of a villain, showcasing a 70-year old man when he was merely 20 years old. He continued as a villain in the following non-stop shows ‘Kagot’ (old man) and ‘Painnem’ (Surya) of the same director.

After successful performances in Prince Jacob’s tiatrs, Jose Rod was roped in by Roseferns’ in his three productions ‘Dovo Kavllo’, ‘Girann’ and ‘Jem Tujem Tem Mhojem’. After picking up the nuances of tiatr and garnering enough experience on stage, he decided to experiment on a joint venture with Anthony San by penning two tiatrs ‘Bhiradd and ‘Punn Kiteak?’

Thereafter, Jose Rod made up his mind to go solo as a writer and director and his productions His production ‘Mauli’ completed 2018 shows in Goa, thus creating the fastest century in the history of non-stop shows.

After his tryst with tiatrs, Jose Rod went a step forward and released his first album ‘Noman’ in 2005, which comprised of 12 solos, all rendered by the composer and singer. “Although it was a different experiment altogether,’ he said, “it was well accepted by the people.”

He released other audio cassettes/CDs as well.

When composing songs, Jose Rod prefers to first check the pulse of the audience, thus introducing family stories, love songs in his albums to make it a complete package and equally keep a track of the market value.

As a tiatrist, Jose Rod has faced adversities with a challenging front. On one occasion, when proceeding to Panjim for the premiere of tiatr ‘Bhiradd’ at 6.30pm, he received the news that one his artistes Mike Mehta, who was in the lead role, met with an accident and was admitted in the ICU.

Mike Mehta was projected as a multi-millionaire in ‘Bhiradd’, while Jose Rod was supposed to be a beggar. “In the same tiatr,” Jose Rod continues sharing, mentioning that he was also supposed to do comedy as well as comedian Philip did not turn up for show at Mapusa. “And during that period when the mobile phone was a distant dream, it was very difficult to communicate with co-artistes,” he said, so he handled the role of a comedian, villain and hero, all three in one, quite artistically.           

Apart from showcasing his talent on stage as an actor and singer, Jose Rod also represented Goa (U-19) in football and played for the senior division. But tiatr was his first love and he declined a job offer at a football club saying he “would opt for tiatrs and prefer them anytime than sports.

In 2009, unfortunately, Jose Rod was detected and operated for a serious illness. A long break followed for treatment and recovery. And now, after a break of almost 7 years, he plans to come out with a new album, with recording under process. Not indulging much into the details of it,   “it will definitely be unique and innovative,” he assures, “with a variety, depending on the singers roped in.”

When composing songs, Jose Rod prefers to focus on subjects related to family, including love songs. “The people have always welcomed my compositions and renditions with a warm heart,” he proudly admits, and he expects the same in the near future too.

Jose Rod also dreams of making a comeback on stage with a drama, precisely to thank the audience and fans for all the love showered upon him through fervent and unceasing prayers for a speedy recovery. “It’s a sincere wish of gratitude to everyone for a new life through prayers,” he signs off.