Evajzp at 21:06, 14 March 2026

2026-03-14T21:06:50Z

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{{Short description|Indian actress and singer (1929–2021)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Leena Fernandes
| image = Leena Dias (née Fernandes).jpg
| caption = Dias as Maria in ''[[Mogacho Aunddo]]'' (1950)
| birth_place = [[Bombay]], [[British India]]
| birth_date = {{birth date|1929|12|19|df=y}}
| death_place = Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
| death_date = {{death date and age|2021|7|30|1929|12|19|df=y}}
| occupation = {{hlist|Actress|singer|[[Switchboard operator|telephone operator]]}}
| notable_works = ''[[Mogacho Aunddo]]''
| known_for = First leading lady of [[Konkani cinema]]
| spouse = Joseph Dias
| children = 3
| relatives = {{ubl|
* [[Cyriaco Dias]]
* [[Jessie Dias]]}}
}}

'''Leena Dias''' ([[née]] '''Fernandes'''; 19 December 1929 – 30 July 2021) was an Indian actress and singer known for her role in the first [[Konkani cinema|Konkani film]], ''[[Mogacho Aunddo]]'' (1950). She is credited as the inaugural [[leading lady]] of [[Konkani cinema]].

==Career==
Filmmaker [[Al Jerry Braganza]]'s inspiration to create a [[Konkani cinema|Konkani film]] emerged during a stroll along [[Marine Drive, Mumbai]], where he observed the prominent display of posters for English, [[Hindi cinema|Hindi]], and [[Marathi cinema|Marathi films]]. Motivated by this observation, Jerry Braganza embarked on a mission to realize his ambition of producing a Konkani film. In his quest for a suitable [[leading lady]], Jerry Braganza visited the office of [[United Artists]], a foreign [[film distribution company]]. It was there that he encountered Dias, whom he boldly approached with an offer to star as the heroine in his film. With the consent of her parents, Dias agreed to take on the role. The production of ''[[Mogacho Aunddo]]'' commenced on 31 July 1949, marked by a [[Muhurat shot|muhurat ceremony]] officiated by Fr. Macario Pereira. The film was subsequently released on 24 April 1950, simultaneously in [[Bombay]] and [[Goa]]. However, the film encountered numerous challenges throughout its production, including restrictions imposed by the [[Portuguese India|Portuguese regime in Goa]], as well as logistical difficulties and [[customs]]-related issues.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Leena Dias, Goa's first heroine passes away |url=https://www.heraldgoa.in/Cafe/Leena-Dias-Goa%E2%80%99s-first-heroine-passes-away/178168 |access-date=2024-01-16 |website=oHeraldo |date=31 July 2021 |archive-date=2023-12-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231231041730/https://www.heraldgoa.in/Cafe/Leena-Dias-Goa%E2%80%99s-first-heroine-passes-away/178168 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Notably, during that era, it was uncommon for women to participate in acting roles. Dias, who worked as a [[Switchboard operator|telephone operator]] and possessed singing abilities, revealed in an interview that the actors received a monthly salary, with Dias herself earning approximately {{INRConvert|500|year=1949}} per month. Given the absence of [[dubbing]] facilities at the time, the actors were required to deliver their dialogues and songs live during filming. The music for ''Mogacho Aunddo'' was composed by a group of 27 musicians under the leadership of Joe Perry and Peter D'Mello. The film was shot in a studio located in [[Chembur]], with additional outdoor scenes filmed in various locations across Goa, including [[Velha Goa]] Churches, [[Mapuça]] Church, [[Calangute]] beach, [[Mandovi River]], Aguada Tower, and the [[Altinho]] and [[Campal]] areas of [[Pangim]]. In terms of the cast, Jerry Braganza assumed the role of Abela, Dias portrayed the character of Maria, and James Braganza provided comedic moments in the film. Dias also lent her vocal talents to the film, singing the [[title song]] as well as featured songs such as "Mogacho Aunddo" and "Mogall Bai" alongside Jerry Braganza.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Antao |first=Steve |date=2015-12-08 |title=Lights! Camera! … 'Mogacho Aunddo' - the first Konkani film |url=https://itsgoa.com/lights-camera-mogacho-aunddo |access-date=2024-01-16 |website=ItsGoa |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-08-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810113847/https://itsgoa.com/lights-camera-mogacho-aunddo/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It is worth noting that ''Mogacho Aunddo'' stood out as a production that did not rely on stage artists. The screening of ''Mogacho Aunddo'' was accompanied by a documentary recounting the visit of [[Our Lady of Fatima]] to Goa. Although Dias received acclaim for her performance in the film, this marked her first and only appearance in the acting realm, as she did not pursue any further film projects thereafter.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Heroine of 1st Konkani film embarks on eternal journey @91 |url=https://www.thegoan.net/sunday-mag/heroine-of-1st-konkani-film-embarks-on-eternal-journey-91/72524.html |access-date=2024-01-16 |website=The Goan EveryDay |language=en |archive-date=2021-10-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021174751/https://www.thegoan.net/sunday-mag/heroine-of-1st-konkani-film-embarks-on-eternal-journey-91/72524.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Personal life==
Dias was born as Leena Fernandes on 19 December 1921, in [[Bombay]], [[Bombay Presidency]], which was then part of [[British India]] and is now known as Mumbai, [[Maharashtra]], India. Although she hailed from the [[census town]] of [[Siolim]] in [[Goa]], she resided in Mumbai.<ref name=":2" /> She was married to Joseph Dias, with whom she had three children: a son named Elvis and two daughters named Phyllis and Joana. She was also related to [[Konkani language|Konkani]] actors [[Cyriaco Dias]] and [[Jessie Dias]].<ref name=":1" />

==Death==
On 30 July 2021, at the age of 91, Dias died in Mumbai, Maharashtra, after a brief period of being bedridden.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-08-01 |title=Leena Dias, Goa’s first heroine passes away – 1 August 2021 {{!}} O Heraldo |url=https://www.heraldgoa.in/cafe/leena-dias-goas-first-heroine-passes-away/154465/ |access-date=2026-03-07 |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Reactions===
In October 2021, the [[Goa Legislative Assembly]] acknowledged Dias' death, along with other distinguished individuals such as Hausatai Patil, Balaji Tambe, [[Buddhadeb Guha]], [[Dattaram Maruti Mirasdar]], [[Jagjit Kaur]], [[Nedumudi Venu]], [[Ghanashyam Nayak]], [[Arvind Trivedi]], and [[Sidharth Shukla]], during an obituary reference session.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2021-10-19 |title=House pays tribute to Navelcar, luminaries who passed away |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/house-pays-tribute-to-navelcar-luminaries-who-passed-away/articleshow/87121931.cms?_gl=1*110vcxu*_ga*YW1wLVZSa1JjbUZONEdOWklrVTRJWGFieHZrbk93cUkzVHgtSENVYzdRX1FnczUzeU1fbzExekVfemw5Q04zRkJ5TF8.*_ga_FCN624MN68*MTcwNTQxNDU4MC4xMDUuMC4xNzA1NDE0NTgwLjYwLjAuMA..#_ga=2.106038275.102176244.1705390016-amp-VRkRcmFN4GNZIkU4IXabxvknOwqI3Tx-HCUc7Q_Qgs53yM_o11zE_zl9CN3FByL_ |access-date=2024-01-16 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
!Ref
|-
|1950
|''[[Mogacho Anvddo]]''
|Maria
|Debut film
|<ref name=":0" />
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Imdb name|id=4473356}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fernandes, Leena}}
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:2021 deaths]]
[[Category:Actresses from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Actresses from Goa]]

Leena Fernandes - Revision history

Evajzp at 21:06, 14 March 2026