“The two became intertwined, and it is at Kalabhavan that mimicry became institutionalised,” said Ratheesh PK, who teaches sociology at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi and has written extensively on the subject. “The early 1980s was the time when mimicry transitioned from being filler in ganamelas and kathaprasangams evolved into two and a half hours standalone entertainment,” said Prasad.Īs Kalabhavan flourished, so did the popularity of mimicry in Kerala. “We started organising mimicry as a collective event, where we would get 10-12 artists to perform on stage.” These events came to be known as mimics parade because of the white shirt and black trousers that all artists wore. “By the early ’80s, Kalabhavan became a centre for mimicry,” said Prasad. Depending on the venue and occasion, the audience size varied from 500 to 10,000. The programmes, at that time, were mostly seasonal: during Onam in August-September and Christmas in December, and during the school summer vacations in April. Kalabhavan mimics performed throughout the state in the late seventies and early eighties. “It was Father Abel’s vision to popularise mimicry in Kerala,” said Prasad. Mimicry performances would be used as fillers in these programmes. But within a decade, Abel began organising ganamelas, or concerts that featured songs from films. In the early days of the institute, its remit was limited to the production of Christian devotional songs.
Kalabhavan was set up in 1969 by Father Abel, a priest and patron of the arts who enjoyed and appreciated humour. From left to right: KS Prasad, Nadirsha, Dileep, Jayaram, Nedumudi Venu, Bharathan and Innocent Vareed Thekkethala.
KALABHAVAN MANI OLD COMEDY HOW TO
They know how to capture the audience.” The mimicry greats in 1994. “All these are essentials of a good actor. “Mimics need facial expressions, voice modulation, comic timing imitate people and their mannerisms,” said Prasad. They include the director duos of Siddique and Lal, and Rafi and Mecartin, besides actors Salim Kumar, Jayaram Subramaniam, Dileep, NF Varghese, Kalabhavan Shajon, Kalabhavan Mani, Bibin George and Thesni Khan. Some of Kerala’s best-known actors and filmmakers have begun their careers at Kalabhavan. Another distraction for him was the work he did with artists at Kalabhavan Kochi, the institute that is at “the heart of mimicry” in the southern state. “But they didn’t have the category then,” he said.ĭisappointed but undeterred, Prasad returned to Kerala and immersed himself in his mimicry practice, doing more and more shows. His achievement, he strongly believed, merited an entry in the record books. So convinced was Prasad that nobody else possessed his diverse range that he visited the Guinness World Records office in Manhattan in 1984 while in the US for a mimicry show.
KALABHAVAN MANI OLD COMEDY FULL
Once there, he would let loose his full repertoire of over 100 sounds – from onomatopoeic moos, vrooms and bow-wows to Hollywood scores, the music of instruments and the calls of a coolie. Prasad, the story goes, would trek to the stadium near his house in Kochi to practise impressions, just so no one could hear him. There’s a famous anecdote about KS Prasad, one of Kerala’s finest and earliest mimics. ‘Zombivli’ review: A zombie comedy with bite.The big news: Kerala reports more than 54,000 Covid cases, and nine other top stories.Watch: Daniil Medevedev’s on-court interview with Jim Courier after defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas.Student protests: Coaching centre tutor ‘Khan Sir’ explains the mathematics causing the anger.Experiments to bring pigs back to ‘life’ show why immortality for humans isn’t a great idea.Five takeaways from Kapil Sharma’s stand-up special ‘I’m Not Done Yet’.BJP, Bajrang Dal workers protest against ‘renaming’ of sports complex after Tipu Sultan in Mumbai.‘Gehraiyaan’ takes a fresh look at monogamy, says director Shakun Batra.How Kashmir’s half-widows are denied their basic property rights.In this explosive fantasy by Saeed Naqvi, India is confronted with the disappearance of its Muslims.Indian family found dead near US-Canada border identified.Watch: Another view of viral u-turn video shows it was skilful but not as dangerous as it looked.