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Awesome fivesome

At a time when mega serials and films are ruling the roost occupying prime time entertainment on the small screen, reality comedy shows by this promising team of youngsters has come as a whiff of fresh air. Their brilliant sense of humour, presence of mind and unflappable demeanour even during demanding situations keep people spell bound. Within no time their programme has garnered maximum TRPs. Started by Star Vijay satellite channel on experimental basis, this programme has now caught up with other channels. From "Kalakka Povathu Yaaru" to "Asatha Povathu Yaaru", the rise of "Madurai" Muthu, "Melur" Sasi, Venkatesh, Christopher and Sri Sailam is meteoric. They all have one thing in common, they belong to the Temple City and what makes them popular is the Madurai slang. Notwithstanding their hectic Deepavali schedule, they spare time for a photo shoot and interview at the Akash Family Club. Excerpts:

"Madurai" Muthu

If you want to know about "stand up comedy", simply watch "Madurai" Muthu alias R. Muthu Irulandi on stage. Words flow from his mouth like a wild brook gushing out of a rocky surface. Hailing from remote Arasapatti Village, 30 km south of Madurai, he has made the local dialect his own. "It is not just about cracking jokes alone. It involves a lot of preparation before getting on to the business," he reveals. It all started when he was asked to introduce guests on dais during his college days. His innovative presentations attracted many. Just when he was looking for a larger forum, the Humour Club at Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research Centre provided him just that -- to keep the bones of a capacity crowd tickling. He would be on stage for a few minutes with his histrionics but people asked for more, even during his early shows. The turning point came when he was picked up by Star Vijay for "Kalakka Povathu Yaaru". "The credit goes to my friends who filled my application form and sent it to the show's director. I had my reservations about impressing people with stand up comedy. I thought I will wind up after two or three episodes and never imagined I will come this far." He has already penned a book titled "Namathu Vazhvil Nagaichuvai" and has compiled "Ilaignarkalukku Arignarkalin Vazhkai Kattum Vazhikatti."

INTEREST: His passion for reading is such that he never fails to read even a piece of printed material found on the road.

AIM: To act in a movie and to wield the megaphone.

"Melur" Sasi

"Melur" Sasi alias D. Sasikumar is a perfect case of what extra curricular activities during college days can do to a person. Pushed into the college cultural team by his college mate N.V. Natarjan (now an aspiring film director), Sasi did not take long to fine tune to stage winning competitions. Along with friends, he launched "Comedy Boys", performed at Humour Clubs and also won the best scriptwriter award. "I never thought I could impress people with my style of speaking. Our group became popular and we were on stage as guests for a programme "Naiyandi Dharbar" by Yugi Sethu and later on Jaya TV for a Pongal episode." His friends refer to him as king of narrators who has a photographic memory too. "I got my lucky break when Mr. Rajkumar of "Kalakka Povathu Yaaru" spotted me and acknowledged my talent," he says with gratitude.

INTEREST: He loves to be on the stage and his talent in writing scripts is hailed by his close associates.

AIM: To become an actor

A. Venkatesh

Venkatesh is loved more for his creative ability, exemplary knowledge of films and current affairs. "The credit goes to my family. I love reading books. I have a personal collection of nearly 6,000 books," he reveals. The ability to mimic is his forte. "I never thought I could mimic voices. I used to reproduce film dialogues to my friends and only when they started appreciating me, I started nurturing this ability." Driven by family circumstances, he completed his degree through distance learning. But became the most wanted person in colleges for his extra curricular abilities. "I became a proxy at several inter-collegiate competitions and won laurels. This gave me the confidence to perform on stage." His knowledge on cinema helped him to run a video magazine called "Mathura TV". He joined an advertising agency but left it soon to start his own in association with Christopher and Sailam. It was "Melur" Sasi who introduced him to Mr. Rajkumar and I made it to the "Kalakka Povathu Yaaru Part II" and ended up being crowned the "Comedy King". His love for acting came to the fore in Tamil movie "Karuppasamy Kuthagaikarar" and "Vedigundu Murugesan". He combines well with Sasi and the duo is more popular for script-based comic performances. They have performed more than 3000 shows together.

INTEREST: An avid cricket player. Played in many district-level tournaments.

AIM: To earn name and fame in media.

Christopher

His good grasp of the dialect has stood him in good stead. For M. Christopher Gnanaraj, commentating is inborn. "It comes to me naturally. People enjoy the way I pass comments. The local dialect makes it more interesting, I guess." An equally talented poet, Christopher is planning to publish his poems. He does mimicry and coins his words carefully so that they rhyme. He joined a television network as coordinator and has done many programmes besides being an exponent of stand up comedy. "I had my apprehensions about this genre. But, I look up to Muthu and draw inspiration from his performance," he says. He has also worked in All India Radio. He joined with Venkatesh and Sasi in Kalakka Povathu Yaaru team and has now switched over to "Asatha Povathu Yaaru".

INTEREST: Drawing and writing poetry.

AIM: A successful entrepreneur in media.

Sailam

He is the new kid on the block. Brought on to the stage by the Venkatesh, Sasi, Christopher trio, C. Sri Sailam's experience as a stage performer dates back to 1996 when he was part of the N.S. Krishnan Kalai Kuzhu, a street theatre group, which performed plays at the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writer's Association functions. He has completed a century of performances, worked as an announcer in All India Radio and partners the new advertising agency with Christopher and Venkatesh now. He is also the executive producer of "Asatha Povathu Yaaru".

INTEREST: Loves playing the mridangam and singing.

AIM: To become a media baron.

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