BY PURVI RADIA | NT NETWORK

Christopher or ‘Comedian64’ – a that name stuck from childhood - was blessed with the knack of turning the most serious of statements into trifling, drawing laughs in the face of the most stressful or difficult of situations.

This talent would have remained hidden had it not been for the famous tiatr writer, actor and director, Alfred Fernandes. Spotting Christopher’s talent, Alfred wasted no time in introducing him to the world of dramas and Christopher got his first break in the tiatr ‘Tuka Kitem Zai’, a story on the menace of plastic. Like any other artist, Christopher too went through a period of struggle but he persisted. He enrolled for various workshops and thus learned more about the stage, and different genres and styles of acting.

The 11 awards he has received for his comedian roles speak a lot about his powerhouse talent. His achievements inspired him to direct the tiatr, ‘Tthikann’, which is currently running successfully all over the state. This year on the occasion of World Goa Day, which is on August 20, Comedian64 will celebrate 50 successful shows of his first directorial attempt.

Christopher’s tiatr deal with the sad realities that Goa is faced with today, for example drugs, distrust within families, rapes, etc. ‘Tthikann’ revolves around the lives of four brothers. “The story is woven into a mystery with elements of both tragedy and comedy,” Christopher informs.

Keeping his love for suspense, tragedy and comedy he is all set to make his next tiatr ‘Tembe’ (Raindrops), another tragicomedy with a stunning cast of seven award winning actors. It is about the search for a murder accused. The unique aspect of this tiatr is that it will include 6 cants (articulation of one verse and one chorus) to the beat of mando, Waltz and tango.

“We all know about the good side of Goa. Now people need to be awakened to the other realities that plague our state. This will enable us to address the problems that threaten to degrade our society,” says Christopher. “I want to support amateur artistes because they are the future of the stage. They should be given the opportunity,” he feels while rueing the fact that audience do not always accept freshers. Such a negative attitude will leave no takers for tiatrs in future he fears.

Christopher who is also into computer graphic designing works as a clerk at the Our Lady of Snow Church, Raia. As a comedian, Christopher prefers writing his own dialogues. He has his fingers on the pulse of the audience and accordingly brings a smooth flow into the script. Simple conversations can inspire him. “Even serious and prolonged issues flashed on the news can be given a humorous touch,” he says.

More than quantity, it is the quality of tiatr that he believes in and so in order to give his tiatrs a distinctive touch Christopher makes it a point to take up only one project a year.

He has acted in the Konkani films ‘Khuinchea Rukhache Kantte’ and ‘Jezu Jivitachem Udok’ (yet to be released), but his first love is the stage. “Unlike films, with tiatrs we get to witness the reactions of the audience. Looking at their response we know where we went wrong or where we were right, and hence we get the opportunity to improve on our performances,” says Comedian64 signing off.