"H U M B E R T" : THE COMEDY SUPREMO.

By Wellington Dias
wellydias@hotmail.com

Photos By Rewon Gomes & Olav Joao
Click On The Thumbnail Images For Larger Ones

When HUMBERT's name comes to mind, it is sure to bring a broad grin, if not a laugh out of all the people who have seen him perform his hilarious antics on the konkanni stage along with his brother Prince Jacob and sending all into peals of uncontrollable laughter.

Meeting with Humbert, in between his rehearsals for Kuwait Konkani Heritage's Millenium Konkanni Musical Show in Kuwait, Humbert opened up his heart to the fourth estate, with regards to his early days when during his school days, on the encouragement of his Vice Principal - (Fr. Caetano at Holy Spirit School in Margao), he used to act in School Plays in humorous roles and it was when he was enacting one of these roles that Rosario Dias, (a well known konkanni drama director), took note of his talent and gave him a chance to star in his dramas.

He still recalls his early dramas which he acted in, in his teens which were "Chuk Havem Adarli", "Cleopatra", and also that of Jess de Kepem's drama, which were instrumental in his gaining recognition as a comedian .

However, the Konkanni stage was not to see Humbert's talents for long, as greener pastures of the Arabian Gulf Emirate of Abu-Dhabi beckoned this talented artiste and he was destined to spend about a decade in the Gulf with brief sojourns to Goa on holidays in between.

But what was the Goan fans's loss was a bit of a gain for konkani drama lovers in Abu-Dhabi, as he was noticed for his acting talents in one of Jerry de Calangute's dramas and the other notable one being "Raja", directed by Tony King.

In the meantime, his brother Jacob who had started out as a child artiste and thereafter making himself known for his comedy roles in Rosefern's dramas, thereby also earning his Royal Moniker as "Prince",  decided to strike it out of his own and at the same time Humbert decided to call it a day in Abu-Dhabi and joined Prince Jacob for their first show which was "Pinzrem', both were to go on to make a successful duo of comedians aptly called the "Doctors of Laughter" and making people laugh which according to both brothers, is a good remedy for people to stay healthy and relieve their tensions.

Humbert and Jacob stuck together, though Humbert was offered roles by other stage artistes which he had to decline on account of his  commitments to his family and to his business, as he was not left with much free time after  a hectic schedule all year round. But he did star in Felcy's drama "VIK or TIK", for which according to him Felcy still remembers him for the positive response (on account of Humbert's acting in her drama) she received from drama arrangers and contractors, He also starred in John D'Silva's "LIPPLELE RUPKAR".

Elaborating further on his career; Humbert toured many places making people laugh their guts out, winning many awards and it was during one such performance in Mumbai, seeing his hilarious antics, that Devan Verma (an actor in the hindi film industry) crowned him as "COMEDY SUPREMO".

As per Humbert, his greatest moment or crowning glory was when, A. Salam (a hindi film director, who also directed the Konkani films Nirmonn and Amchem Noxib), watching him on stage, after his performance  came up to him and stated that his (Humbert's) acting reminded him of the late "Anthony Mendes", which according to Humbert was an ultimate tribute to himself and a feeling which he cannot fathom.

When asked about his best role of his career, he had to say that it was in "PIRACHITT", wherein he acted as a a Tamilian, speaking konkani in the tamilian dialect that earned him rave reviews, monetary awards, etc. from his fans and this role also inspired him to produce an album named 'VIVA GOA" (with jokes and songs) which was a sell-out in Goa.

When inquired, who his idol was, Humbert spontaneously stated that it was the late JACINT VAZ and described him as a genius, with a flair for natural comedy.

When queried as to which of the current crop of Stars he appreciated most, he had to say that all the artistes were talented and each one of them was great in their own way.

With regards to the current situation of the Konkani stage, he was of the opinion that a lot of talented artistes are forced to go abroad to work so as to help them earn their livelihood as they cannot hope to sustain themselves on the meagre earnings by acting in dramas, alone

He also requested the people and the audience to encourage the amateur and upcoming artistes by patronizing their dramas also and not only those of well known actors, so as to bolster their confidence, thereby paving the way for them to keep the art of the Konkanni drama and our culture alive.

He also had to say that on the Goa Govt.'s part, it should also give its backing by reserving Govt. jobs for the artistes on the lines offered to Sports personalities, so that there is no talent drain from Goa.

When talking about his family, he had to say that initially he received encouragement from his parents (who according to him were simple and down to earth folks, who intilled  in him and taught him good values) and now from his wife and kids as well.

His advice to budding artistes, (some of whom Humbert admits are even better than him), is that they should not go into acting for monetary gains alone but for the love of acting and keeping our culture and our Mother tongue, Konkani alive.

Finally winding up the tete a tete, with this down to earth Gentleman from Fatorda-Goa, Humbert had to say that the Konkanni stage can be made a force to reckon with, provided Unity is maintained and also back-biting and bickerings amongst the artistes are avoided.