Has mimicry lost its LOL factor?

Remember the scene from the film, Sandakozhi, in which actress Meera Jasmine shows off her mimicry skills to Vishal? The act of mimicking someone and entertaining viewers is not something that comes easy to everyone. But those who can pull it off well will surely tickle a few funny bones. Not to forget, some of them have made it big and later, made their way to films.
Chinni Jayanth is one among them. This mimicry artiste-turned-actor says, “There’s no two ways about it. I started off with mimicry. While I was much younger, I would mimic friends and relatives during family functions. Later, when I turned an actor, I would entertain people on the shooting set, mimicking those in the crew. We used to have a lot of fun mimicking each other. That’s how we would have fun during breaks. I still remember, how people once applauded me when I mimicked a few big actors during a show in a village several years ago.” But does mimicry still hold the interest of many?
Today, on World Laughter Day, we ask a few artistes how well mimicry fares among today’s audience, chances for artistes getting film offers through mimicry and more.
Mimicry vs standup comedy
Has the number of mimicry artistes come down when compared to that of standup comedians? “Standup can be done by everyone, but mimicry is not like that. You need a lot of practice and it involves a lot of voice modulation. Standup is mostly extempore. You can immediately make fun of the people who walk in late or just interact with the first-row audience. But that is not how mimicry works,” says Chinni Jayanth.
Dheena, who turned an actor recently, from the comedy show, Kalakka Povadhu Yaaru, says, “Now, there are several of them who do mimicry, because of which the quality has come down. They keep imitating the same actors and that becomes boring. Audience expect variety and therefore they should come up with new concepts. Standup is the next best option for a lot of mimicry artistes.” Dheena, who recently acted in Pa.Paandi, adds, “Whenever I perform, I try and introduce new concepts and jokes. Also, I choose simple topics that connect easily with everyone. I like to come up with counter dialogues and give punch dialogues at the right time. I don’t want to be branded as a mimicry artiste. Then I may lose opportunities to act in films.”
Another artiste, Mohamed Kuraishi, who won the fifth season of Kalakka Povathu Yaaru, shares his thoughts as he says, “Voice modulation doesn’t come easily to everyone. Standup comedy and acting are easier when compared to mimicry. I don’t know if it is because ours is a place which is obsessed about actors, but each time I imitate Vijay, the crowd goes crazy. I don’t think it is the same in other states. Their comedy shows don’t have any mimicry artistes. There are more takers for mimicry in TN. But they have to innovate themselves and try and learn new voices. That is how you present something new. You have to read the newspaper, know what is happening in the city, and in politics and that is what people like. Comedy with current affairs is what sells. If you are performing in front of a family crowd, you cannot imitate Ajith and expect them laugh. Standup is what will work there. You speak about family issues and the audience will be able to relate to it. Whereas for a stage performance, I will try imitating Ajith and it will work,” says the artiste, who tell us that imitating Suriya and Vijay is a favourite among the audience.
Mimicry to films
The sad truth, however, is that a mimicry artiste doesn’t get a lot of acting opportunities. Chinni Jayanth shares, “Back in the 70s and 80, mimicry was new and I used to get roaring claps. I infact remember, Cho Ramaswamy once came up to me and said, ‘there are not many mimicry artistes who have their own acting style. You are unique that way and keep it up’.” Another mimicry artiste and actor, Mayilsami says, “I don’t look at mimicry as a different art form. Mimicry is like eating breakfast every day. I do it and it is part of me. I also make sure; I differentiate between acting and mimicry. They are two different things according to me.” On the other hand, actor Aarthi, also known as Harathi says mimicry will never die, thanks to technology. “I think dubsmash and trolling are a form of mimicry, if not very traditional. Performers still imitate actors and politicians through dubsmash. So the art form can never die. Back then mimicry was seen as a profession. But these days, mimicry doesn’t fetch money and so they don’t take it very seriously. Also, mimicry artistes tend to lose their individuality because of this. Let’s not forget we got Sivakarthikeyan because of mimicry,” she shares.
The women in mimicry
“While women have overtaken men in different fields, mimicry is one such area that is still dominated by men. And in this case women are at fault,” laughs actor Aarthi. The Padikkadavan actress further says, “Women cannot produce five different voices. Men on the other hand have a base voice and can easily change it. Having said that, Uma Riyaz is one actress who can easily imitate actors like Thengai Srinivasan.” Uma Riyaz agrees and shares, “The other reason why there are not enough women mimicry artistes could be because of lack of awareness.” She adds, “I’m sure if you get into school and colleges, you will find a lot of girls who imitate actors and their friends, but nobody will ever think of taking it seriously or as a profession. I started off in school, when I used to say dialogues from 16 Vayathinile and imitate actors like Suruli Rajan and MN Nambiar. It was a hit in school. I later started doing it to entertain my friends. My inspiration was Venky-Monkey, the ventriloquist. He was a family friend and we would say dialogues from movies like Guna, during my teenage days. I used to imitate actresses like Amala and Bhanupriya. Mimicry has gone the corporate way, I feel. A lot of actors go abroad for international functions and corporate shows. So, mimicry will continue to be alive, but without many noticing it,” she concludes.