Happy indru mudhal happy .... sings V. Navneethakrishnan in a Just A Minute (JAM) video on YouTube. He calls himself Mr. Thappilla and shares his secret to a happy life. “It’s simple. All you need is a person who loves you and a person whom you love,” he states.
The YouTube channel Mr. Thappila, made by Navneethakrishnan, is a series of JAM videos that talk about positivity in life. “You can choose to look at life as half empty or half full. I chose my name as Mr. Thappilla which means nothing is right or wrong. That’s the driving point. To make people aware of values like trust, friendship, decision-making all in a light hearted manner.” He has made 23 videos in the series and has quite a fan following on Insta and Facebook. The videos also feature funny graphics.
“You can be five or 50, but stay childish, stay naughty... onnum thappilla ,” he signs off in one of the videos. ‘Don’t cry, keep trying’ ‘Money iruntha enjoy pannu, illaati adjust pannu’ and ‘Wake up with a smile’ are some of his other videos. He says, “All you need is five seconds. When you wake up, think about a happy thing. It could be a childhood memory, a favourite food or a beloved person. That will keep you positive through the day. Listening to music also works like medicine. In ‘Just Listen’ I ask people to listen to one melody with all their heart and it works like yoga and meditation.” There are videoson caring for Nature too.
Besides JAM videos, he has made a comedy series too. “ My fist comedy video was on ways of proposing love. I also made one on how people in Chennai, Madurai, Coimbatore, Kerala and in the North speak Tamil differently. ‘Varatha Thanniyum Tharaatha Thanniyum’ touched upon the Cauvery issue too in a lighter vein.” There is a series of three-minute videos titled ‘Conversations’ that can be a conversation between a passenger and a bus conductor, parents and children or students... “It looks at what makes for conversation starters, of course with a funny take,” he says.
Mr. Thappilla who wants to take up a career as an RJ or VJ says a social media presence has become inevitable. “The feedback to my videos, from my faculty and students, has been a great motivating factor.” Currently, he is pursuing his M.Phil in Communication at PSG College of Arts and Science.
Navneethakrishnan who is from Anamalai near Pollachi says he gets his sense of humour from his father Vasudevan who works as a tailor. “There have been instances where people have missed their buses because they got lost in his conversation,” he laughs. “There is never a dull moment when he starts talking. Every 10 seconds or so, he changes his body language, the slang or the content and everyone is hooked. I used all those tips while making my videos.”
To watch the videos, visit Mr. Thappilla on YouTube, Insta or Facebook
