“Cricket is Brett (Bread) and Butter for you,” Bosskey lets out one of his wisecracks on cricketer and fellow commentator Brett Lee in his inimitable style while commentating for TNPL. With commendable command over the language he dilutes any tense moment.
An actor, stand up comedian, radio jockey, film critic and cricketer, Bosskey juggles multiple roles with effortless ease. “Wisecracks help a lot. Humour works as shock absorber. For instance, at a cricket match there was confusion over umpiring decision and my fellow commentator told me probably the player was asking for DRS (Decision Review System) and I replied ‘ ingellam DRS ketta avaru VRS la poyiruvaar ’ (if the player asks for DRS here, he may have to go on VRS). It evoked instant laughter in the commentary box,” he says.
A self-styled satirist, nothing escapes Bosskey’s attention. “It is all about finding humour in every day situations and Chennai's streets are a veritable treasure trove of jokes. Observation is the key to getting the leads,” he says. Also a TV anchor, his Chennai dialect has a big fan following. People still remember his talk show Hari Giri Assembly for his one-liners. The way he succinctly compiles top news headlines draws people like iron fillings to magnet. “In this fast paced world, people don’t have time to read the complete news article. I just do it in my way,” laughs Bosskey. Recently, after reading the news about a Florida lawmaker carrying jar of mosquitoes to the House floor to draw the House’s attention to Zika virus, Bosskey said “The Florida lawmaker served Show Kosu (Cause) notice.”
For more than15 years, he has been doing it on his facebook page. He honed his skills by participating in slogan writing contests from school days. “I liked doing it. J and K is a central government problem while J versus K is a State Government problem,” he says. He is often compared with Navjot Singh Siddhu for his brand of siddhuisms!
“ Kalaaithal (pulling one’s legs) is an art and it is inborn. I grew up in an environment where casual remarks are order of the day. Just visit Mylapore and Triplicane, you will understand and enjoy the real essence of kalaithal ,” he says.
Bosskey has developed the art of brushing aside all disapprovals. “It is not as easy as many think. Cracking jokes without content does not attract people. If I am able to commentate on cricket, it is because I am a leg spinner and played under Krish Srikkanth’s leadership in south zone university cricket tournament and have brushed shoulders with Ravi Shastri and Azharuddin. That is how I picked up commentary. Usually it is said bowlers sledge batsman. But I crack jokes at them. Once I passed a comment on a bowler, who hurled a lot of wide balls. “Everyone on the field is afraid of that bowler except the batsman.”
“Brett Lee likes my kind of comedy. I asked him whether he was comfortable wearing veshti on the ground. He told me he was more worried about the breeze and said the only thing that saved him was the Velcro. I immediately asked ‘I have heard of Jeff Crowe and Martin Crowe and what is this new ‘cro’. He never expected this from me and that brought us closer,” says Bosskey.
He brings a lot of cricket content to the commentary and laces it with humour. When he is around there is never a dull moment. His funny remarks enliven the atmosphere. Many a time, it re-energises people around. Whether it is film review or commentary his remarks make it more interesting. Recently he reviewed film Iru Mugan for an online cinema portal and his immediate one-liner about the movie is “ Iru Mugan is thuru-thuru mugan (hyper-active) in the first half and aru-mugan (bore) in the second half.”
He has started Bosskey TV on internet and airs celebrity interviews and ‘penn’ (women) drive, a programme featuring common man as guest. Anything creative attracts Bosskey, who is also into modelling. He has his own theatre group, Hari Giri Theatres, and has staged comedy dramas.
Having worked in various fields, he draws a lot of parallels. For instance, when a batsman hits a six after a dormant period, he would say “ Ambi mathiri irundha batsman anniyana marittaar .”
Bosskey remembers the meaty roles he played in the films Theeya Velai Seyyanum Kumaru and Poi Solla Porom . “I have so far acted in 15 films of which 12 ran for 100 days, still I don’t get enough chance. It may be because of my plain speaking,” he says.
