Legend has it that Onam was a time for merriment in Kerala when the exiled King Mahabali came visiting every year. Now television channels have taken it literally to flood the small screen with programmes with an accent on humour – satire, slapstick, spoofs and mimicry. Come Onam, the small screen comes alive with all kinds of programmes conceptualised and hosted by mimicry artistes and comedians. It is entertainment unlimited with talk shows, skits, interviews, songs and so on dominating the ratings.
“It is the entertainment factor that matters. Celebrity interviews rarely earn the ratings of comedy shows,” explains B.S. Praveen Kumar, a chief manager, Asianet. The channel has proved that year after year with the De Maveli Kombathu series, a talk show featuring 60-odd mimicry artistes, a face off between mimicry troupes Kalabhavan and Harisree, special episodes of Cinemala and umpteen skits featuring leading comedians and mimicry artistes.
Mimicry emerged as a chartbuster of Malayalis and somebody who knows that showbiz well is Nadhirshah who made it big with his Onathinidakku Puttu Kachavadam and then the De Maveli Kombathu series . As for Kottayam Nazeer, it was an Onam programme that gave him “the big break” – his first ever one-man show at Asianet’s Onam celebrations in the capital city.
Over the last few years, mega events for Onam, organised by Malayali associations abroad, proved that the superstars of such shows were the mimicry artistes and comedians. “Onam celebrations are always bigger for non-resident Keralites, especially in places such as Dubai and Singapore. These associations split into two or three in a short span of time and each of them hold their own celebrations. So more the associations, more the number of shows!” says Kalabhavan Prajod, a regular participant of such shows. These shows are aired on prime time during the Onam season.
Subi Suresh, one among the two or three comediennes in the industry, says that Onam is the busiest season for them. “Other than comic skits, the usual stuff is talk shows based on a current issue that are laced with satire, punch lines and a liberal dose of irreverent observations. This time I am part of a show on the recent liquor policy,” says Subi. She will soon be travelling to Singapore for an Onam mega show after Onam. “We are the ones who celebrate Onam before and after Onam because these Malayali associations arrange the shows according to dates available,” she says.
Meanwhile, there has been a significant change in the composition of shows planned for Onam. “I have done shows with actors such as Dileep and Salim Kumar. But ever since Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) has put restrictions on film actors on doing television shows, many are seen on television either to promote their films or give interviews. That helped the entry of many new talents,” says Nadhirshah. These newcomers are also taking advantage of the fact that leading mimicry artistes and comedians are busy in films.
Nevertheless, there has been a significant decrease in the number of skits, the reason being the screening of blockbuster movies. “These days channels compete against each other when it comes to airing the latest blockbuster movies. We can’t compete with them,” says Prajod. Moreover, the problem of plenty also has taken away the exclusivity factor of comedies, feels Nazeer.
However Praveen Kumar disagrees. He insists that comedies have a captive audience. “Now, we don’t focus on the big names of mimicry or comedy. It is the stars of our comedy shows, reality shows and serial artistes who feature in the skits, which is a new experience for the viewers.”
So tune in for a laugh riot involving all the talking heads and more as the kings of mimicry and comedy move centre stage to have the last laugh.
Mahabali vs. Mahabali
If Innocent has been the voice of Mahabali, the face is that of Saju Kodiyan. “First I was featured as Mahabali on the cover of the De Maveli Kombathu Volume III. Then I was part of its video version and on the mini screen I debuted as Mahabali in Cinemala. I have a rival in Joshy, who was launched by Onathinidakku Puttukachavadam team. We recently came face to face in Cinema Chirimaa on Mazhavil Manorama.”
Comedy series
It was in 1991 that Nadhirshah, Dileep and Aby came together to launch the audio cassette Onathinadakku Puttukachavadam. It was comedy at its best when Mahabali, who strangely spoke in the voice of Innocent, came to Kerala via one of the potholes on the roads. After three years, the team parted ways with the producer. Though the latter continued with the series, Nadhirshah launched a new one, De Maveli Kombathu. It ran for 17 volumes until it was stopped three years ago. The series was composed of parody songs of popular numbers, spoofs and skits on current issues.
