The lockdown has made artists and artists think about how differently they can showcase their work. Veteran mimicry artist from Kochi, KS Prasad, who is a regular on stage and television comedy shows, used the time to create content for YouTube – he launched his series ‘Mr and Mrs Luka’ on his channel KS Prasad Entertainment Of.
The series is about a couple, their friends and capers. Seventeen episodes old, Prasad says he has tried something different. “I have used graphics and animation to show what each character is thinking. Often we say one thing thinking the exact opposite. We have used graphics to ‘show’ their thoughts. This is a new concept. I was one of the first people in Kerala to use recorded applause in my shows. Which has now become common in every television channel and comedy shows.”
Prasad is one of six members of the popular 1980s mimicry troupe, Mimics Parade. Founded by Father Abel of the Cochin Kalabhavan, it was instrumental in introducing many artists who became lead actors and popular mimics. Though his compatriots like Siddiqui and Lal moved on to the film industry, Prasad chose to do mimicry. He has his own mimicry troupe Cochin Guinness.
The place of Cochin Guinness is associated with his house on Azad Road in Kaloor, Kochi. He uses the space to record episodes. “Barely eight of us, including my daughter, are involved in the making. Lead actor, Siju Irumpanam writes the screenplay; My daughter is the editor. We all put up the ‘set’ and Roshni is what I have for our (Guinness) show. The set-up is small, I haven’t spent much.” Prasad works in these too.
Kerala has, perhaps, the largest number of mimicry actors, with each television channel having at least one comedy/mimicry-based show. The pandemic has hit the artists hard. Though television channels have started functioning, still it is difficult. “Stage shows are their main source of livelihood, no one knows when the restrictions will be lifted. Many artists now do other work – plumbing, masonry, laying tiles,” he says. Prasad says that the inquiries for the stage show have gradually resumed.
Cochin Kalabhavan organized the first mimicry show in September 1981. Artists like Kalabhavan Mani, Jayaram, Dileep, Nadirsha and Salim Kumar are some of the actors who came out of Kalabhavan. This paved the way for many others to follow in his footsteps. “At that time I don’t think any of us thought that mimicry would be so popular. I’m sure even Pt. Abel would not have expected so many artists and so many troupes (imitations). This only proves that Basically people like to laugh and be happy.”
Comedy, like everything else, has changed. “There are more restrictions now than before. Earlier you could make fun of everything, including politicians, but without worrying about the implications. Politicians like K Karunakaran and EK Nayanar took to the jokes. It’s so different now.” He agrees that the jokes aren’t what they used to be, adding, “There’s more pressure now. We mostly consume comedy from television shows, which air weekly. You see the creators. Can’t blame, they need to make drama fast and the quality inevitably suffers.” He describes a recent incident where a comedian refused to do skits because he didn’t want to get into trouble. “No one wants to flap their wings!”
Prasad debuted with mono-acts while in school, winning top prizes at school youth festivals. Later, while in Maharaja’s College, he collected awards after which he joined Kala Bhavan.
He is happy with the look of ‘Mr and Mrs Luka’, however, he is not sure whether he will keep it in the current format or not. “Things are fluid right now. It’s YouTube for now, let’s see if other places open up!”
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